New Delhi, 09 July (H.S.):

The domestic equity market witnessed a strong rebound during early trading on Thursday, with both benchmark indices opening higher and extending their gains amid sustained buying interest. The rally came a day after the market witnessed a sharp sell-off. After the first hour of trading, both the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty were trading around 0.68 per cent higher.

Among the blue-chip stocks, Eternal, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Bharti Airtel, Max Healthcare and Nestlé India emerged as the top gainers in early trade, rising between 1.74 per cent and 3.91 per cent. On the other hand, Infosys, Hindalco Industries, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCL Technologies were among the major laggards, declining between 0.90 per cent and 1.87 per cent.

During the first hour of trading, 2,725 stocks were actively traded on the exchanges. Of these, 2,364 stocks advanced while 361 declined. On the BSE Sensex, 22 of the 30 constituent stocks were trading in positive territory, while eight traded lower. Similarly, on the NSE Nifty, 37 of the 50 constituent stocks were trading with gains, while 13 were in the red.

The BSE Sensex opened 72.54 points higher at 76,576.14. Strong buying momentum immediately after the opening bell pushed the index steadily higher. Although intermittent profit-booking triggered minor bouts of selling, the overall upward trend remained intact. At 10:15 a.m., after the first hour of trading, the Sensex was up 517.93 points, or nearly 0.68 per cent, at 77,021.53.

The NSE Nifty also opened on a firm note, gaining 46.90 points to begin trading at 23,928.95. Broad-based buying across sectors lifted the benchmark index higher, despite occasional profit-booking. Sustained buying interest outweighed the selling pressure, allowing the index to maintain its upward momentum. At 10:15 a.m., the Nifty was trading 163.55 points higher at 24,045.60, reflecting a gain of approximately 0.68 per cent.

In the previous trading session on Wednesday, the markets had ended sharply lower. The Sensex had plunged 1,677.12 points, or 2.15 per cent, to close at 76,503.60, while the Nifty had fallen 516.65 points, or 2.12 per cent, to settle at 23,882.05. Thursday's early recovery reflected renewed investor buying following the previous session's steep decline.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar