New Delhi, 04 May (H.S.): Positive cues from the US initiating efforts to free ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with April's record GST collections of ₹2.43 lakh crore, propelled domestic equities upward in early trading today. Markets commenced on a firm note, with buyers dominating post-opening, driving both benchmark indices to gain momentum.

The rally's strength was evident as BSE-listed companies' market capitalization rose by ₹4.64 lakh crore shortly after trading began. By 10 AM, Sensex advanced 1.12% and Nifty climbed 1.06%.

Top Gainers and Losers

Among heavyweight stocks, Bajaj Auto, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti Suzuki, Shriram Finance, and Larsen & Toubro traded with gains ranging from 2.79% to 3.86%. In contrast, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, ONGC, TCS, and Eternal saw declines between 0.26% and 2.58%.

Trading Activity Snapshot

Of 2,764 actively traded stocks, 2,102 posted gains in green territory, while 662 incurred losses in red. In Sensex's 30 constituents, 26 benefited from buying support, with only four under selling pressure. Similarly, 44 of Nifty's 50 stocks traded green, against six in red.

Index Performance Details

BSE's Sensex opened at 77,257.27, up 343.77 points. Buoyant buying propelled it nearly 1,000 points higher to 77,910.75 within the first half-hour, though minor profit-taking induced a slight pullback. By 10 AM, it stood at 77,772.90, gaining 859.40 points.

NSE's Nifty mirrored the trend, opening at 24,063.55, up 66 points. It surged almost 300 points to 24,290.20 amid sustained purchases before modest profit-booking. At 10 AM, Nifty traded at 24,252.15, up 254.60 points.

Previous Session Recap

In the prior week's final session on Thursday, Sensex closed at 76,913.50, down 582.26 points or 0.75%. Nifty settled at 23,997.55, off 180.10 points or 0.74%.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar