Indian benchmark Sensex, Nifty open in positive note on Friday, Axis Bank stocks surge by 6%

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New Delhi: Indian benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty opened in a positive note on Friday despite the weakness displayed by the other Asian and European markets.The 30-BSE Sensex hiked 236 points to opean at 59439 points while the broader 50-share NSE Nifty 50 climbed to 17,600 points at the early start. Axis bank was the top gainer and surged around 6%. Other gainers were Titan, Hindustan Unilever Limited and L&T. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, ITC, and Infosys were top laggards.

The most of the Asian-Pacific markets too opened in the red. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down by over 53.81 points or 0.20 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi fell over 7 points or 0.32 per cent to trade at 2212 in the early trade. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong too traded in red and was down by over 86 points or 0.53  per cent.

European Stock markets are trading lower on the issue of persistent inflation and looming energy crisis due to prolonging Ukraine-Russia conflict. Most sectors are in red.

US stocks too closed lower on Thursday as data on the labor market and comments from a US Federal Reserve official reinforced expectations the central bank will be aggressive in hiking interest rates outweighed a flurry of solid corporate earnings. The S&P 500 lost 29.38 points, or 0.80 per cent, to end at 3,665.78 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 65.664 points, or 0.61 per cent, to 10,614.844.