New Delhi, 13 October (H.S.): The domestic equity market traded firmly higher during early trading on Tuesday, with benchmark indices the Sensex and the Nifty gaining ground amid strong buying across sectors. The market opened with marginal gains, but buying interest strengthened shortly after the opening bell, pushing both indices higher. After the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 0.87 per cent, while the Nifty had advanced 0.89 per cent.

The BSE Sensex opened at 71,951.73, gaining 27.04 points, or 0.04 per cent. Soon after trading began, buyers stepped up their purchases, giving the index upward momentum. Although occasional bouts of profit-booking triggered limited selling, sustained buying kept the benchmark firmly in positive territory.

At 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 623.18 points, or 0.87 per cent, at 72,547.86.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty began the session at 22,364.15, marginally higher by 0.80 points, or 0.004 per cent. Broad-based buying emerged soon after the market opened, lifting the index. Despite intermittent profit-booking by investors, sustained buying activity supported the upward movement.

At 10:15 a.m., the Nifty had climbed 198.50 points, or 0.89 per cent, to trade at 22,561.85.

Market breadth remained mixed despite the gains in the benchmark indices. A total of 2,906 stocks were actively traded during the session. Of these, 1,367 were trading in positive territory, while 1,539 were in the red.

Among the 30 constituents of the Sensex, 26 stocks were trading higher, while four were trading lower. On the Nifty, 43 of the 50 constituent stocks were in positive territory, while seven were trading with losses.

Among the major companies, shares of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and Bajaj Auto were among the leading gainers. Their shares advanced between 1.64 per cent and 5.46 per cent during early trading.

On the other hand, shares of Max Healthcare, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki, Power Grid Corporation and JSW Steel were among the laggards, declining between 0.20 per cent and 0.91 per cent.

In the previous trading session on Monday, the domestic stock market had ended sharply lower. The Sensex fell 547.65 points, or 0.76 per cent, to close at 71,924.68. Meanwhile, the Nifty declined 157.10 points, or 0.70 per cent, to settle at 22,363.35.

The gains in early trading on Tuesday followed Monday's losses, with buying interest lifting both benchmark indices above their previous closing levels.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar