New Delhi, 27 July (H.S.): Domestic equity markets traded firmly higher during early trading on Monday, supported by the decline in international crude oil prices, which boosted investor sentiment. Benchmark indices opened on a strong note and extended their gains as buying intensified after the opening bell. However, profit-booking after the first half hour trimmed some of the gains. At the end of the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 0.76 per cent, while the Nifty had gained 0.69 per cent.

Among the frontline stocks, InterGlobe Aviation, Eternal, Infosys, Asian Paints and Tech Mahindra emerged as the top gainers, rising between 2.42 per cent and 3.67 per cent. On the other hand, ONGC, Wipro, SBI Life Insurance, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Cipla traded lower, declining between 0.04 per cent and 2.51 per cent.

During the first hour of trading, 2,807 stocks were actively traded on the exchanges. Of these, 2,282 advanced and remained in the green, while 525 declined and traded in negative territory. Among the 30 Sensex constituents, 26 stocks were trading with gains, while four were under selling pressure. Similarly, 40 of the 50 Nifty constituents were in positive territory, while 10 traded lower.

The BSE Sensex opened 549.21 points, or 0.72 per cent, higher at 76,608.98. Shortly after the opening bell, the index slipped to an intraday low of 76,530.24 due to initial selling pressure. Buying soon returned, lifting the index to an intraday high of 76,715.64 within the first half hour. Subsequent profit-booking pared some of the gains. At 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 581.48 points at 76,641.25.

The NSE Nifty also opened strongly, gaining 160.95 points, or 0.68 per cent, to 23,928.40. Early selling pressure dragged the index to 23,896.70, more than 30 points below its opening level. However, fresh buying quickly reversed the decline, pushing the benchmark to an intraday high of 23,964.50 within the first 30 minutes of trading. Profit-booking later moderated the gains. At 10:15 a.m., the Nifty was trading 164.15 points higher at 23,931.60.

In the previous trading session on Friday, the Sensex had ended 331.62 points, or 0.43 per cent, lower at 76,059.77, while the Nifty declined 102.15 points, or 0.43 per cent, to close at 23,767.45.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar