New Delhi, 29 July (H.S.): Domestic equity markets traded firmly higher during early trading on Wednesday, with both the benchmark Sensex and Nifty extending their gains after opening on a positive note. Although the indices witnessed brief selling pressure soon after the opening bell, buying interest quickly returned, pushing both benchmarks higher. By 10 a.m., the Sensex was up 0.94 per cent, while the Nifty had gained 0.88 per cent.

Among the heavyweight stocks, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata Consumer Products emerged as the top gainers, rising between 2.02 per cent and 3.45 per cent during early trade.

On the other hand, InterGlobe Aviation, Bharat Electronics, Coal India, Power Grid Corporation of India and Axis Bank were among the major laggards, declining between 0.47 per cent and 1.17 per cent.

A total of 2,693 stocks were actively traded on the exchanges by 10 a.m. Of these, 2,003 stocks were trading in the green, while 690 were in negative territory.

Among the 30 constituent stocks of the BSE Sensex, 23 were trading with gains, supported by sustained buying, while seven stocks remained under selling pressure. Similarly, on the NSE Nifty, 38 of the 50 constituent stocks were trading higher, while 12 were in the red.

The BSE Sensex opened 675.85 points, or 0.86 per cent, higher at 77,423.77. Soon after the opening, the benchmark came under mild selling pressure and slipped to an intraday low of 77,333.24. However, renewed buying across sectors helped the index recover swiftly. By 10 a.m., the Sensex was trading at 77,489.34, up 723.43 points from the previous close.

The NSE Nifty also began the session on a strong note, opening 191.30 points, or 0.80 per cent, higher at 24,176.65. The index briefly fell to 24,136.75 due to early profit booking before buyers regained control of the market. By 10 a.m., the Nifty had climbed 210.15 points to trade at 24,195.50.

In the previous trading session on Tuesday, the BSE Sensex had closed 69.86 points, or 0.09 per cent, lower at 76,765.92. The NSE Nifty also ended the session in negative territory, slipping 10.60 points, or 0.04 per cent, to settle at 23,985.35.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar