New Delhi, 02 July (H.S.): India's benchmark equity indices traded higher during early trading on Thursday, extending their gains after opening on a firm note. Sustained buying by investors pushed both the Sensex and the Nifty higher, although intermittent bouts of profit-booking briefly trimmed gains. Despite the selling pressure, market sentiment remained positive. By 10 a.m., the Sensex was up 0.54 per cent and the Nifty had gained 0.52 per cent.

Among the frontline stocks, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tech Mahindra and Hindalco Industries were the top gainers in early trade, rising between 2.01 per cent and 4.70 per cent. On the other hand, Larsen & Toubro, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid Corporation, NTPC and Max Healthcare declined between 0.62 per cent and 1.07 per cent.

As of 10 a.m., a total of 2,722 stocks were actively traded on the exchanges. Of these, 1,961 advanced while 761 declined. Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 20 traded in positive territory and 10 were in the red. Similarly, 34 of the 50 Nifty stocks were trading higher, while 16 were trading lower.

The BSE Sensex opened 160.50 points higher at 77,083.14. Strong buying momentum during the opening session lifted the index to an intraday high of 77,449.25 within the first half hour of trading. Subsequent profit-booking led to a slight pullback. By 10 a.m., the Sensex was trading 416.26 points higher at 77,338.90.

The NSE Nifty opened 56.35 points higher at 24,062.20 and quickly gathered momentum as buying intensified. The benchmark index climbed to an intraday high of 24,159.45 during the first 30 minutes of trading before witnessing mild profit-booking. At 10 a.m., the Nifty was trading 124.10 points higher at 24,129.95.

In the previous trading session on Wednesday, the Sensex had closed 443.97 points, or 0.58 per cent, higher at 76,922.64, while the Nifty gained 140.10 points, or 0.59 per cent, to settle at 24,005.85.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar