New Delhi, 05 March (H.S.): India's equity benchmarks opened higher today, shaking off initial selling pressure to trade firmly in positive territory during early hours.After a strong start, both Sensex and Nifty dipped briefly due to profit-taking but swiftly recovered as buyers stepped in aggressively within the first 15 minutes.

One hour into trading at 10:15 AM, the BSE Sensex climbed 356.34 points or 0.45% to 79,472.53, while the NSE Nifty rose 123.60 points or 0.50% to 24,604.10.

Index Intraday Movements

The Sensex opened at 79,530.48, up 414.29 points, peaked at 79,666.46, then slipped to 79,227.16 before rebounding. Nifty mirrored the action, starting at 24,615.95 (up 135.45 points), hitting 24,656.70, and falling to 24,530.05 prior to the turnaround.

This rebound follows Wednesday's sharp declines, with Sensex closing down 1,122.66 points or 1.40% at 79,116.19 and Nifty off 385.20 points or 1.55% at 24,480.50.

Top Performers and Laggards

Among Sensex heavyweights, Hindalco Industries, Coal India, ONGC, Reliance Industries, and NTPC surged between 2.39% and 3.72%.

In contrast, Adani Enterprises, Max Healthcare, HDFC Life, HCL Technologies, and Eternal shed 0.65% to 1.03%.

Market Breadth Snapshot

Out of 2,724 active stocks, 1,940 advanced while 784 declined. On Sensex, 18 of 30 stocks traded green against 12 red; Nifty saw 29 gainers out of 50 versus 21 losers.Broad positivity stemmed from global cues and easing Middle East tensions, boosting risk appetite.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar