Markets open higher, Nifty holds 11,000

New Delhi: Benchmark indices opened on a positive note while the NSE Nifty retained 11,000 level Thursday on sustained buying despite sluggish global cues.

The BSE Sensex jumped 49.19 points or 0.13 percent to 36,685.29 in early trade while the Nifty edged higher by 5.60 points to 11,058.60.

PowerGrid, HUL, Reliance were among the top gainers on the BSE Sensex. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) purchased shares worth Rs 1,130.78 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 878.45 crore Wednesday, provisional data showed. PTI

Asian shares rose marginally in early trade on Thursday, a Reuters report wrote. Japan`s Nikkei average fell 0.6 percent, while Australian shares added 0.2 percent.

MSCI`s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.1 percent in early trade. It was not far from its five-month high marked last week and was up 10.4 percent year-to-date.

Overnight, Wall Street`s main indexes fell for a third session, with the S&P 500 posting its biggest one-day decline in a month, as investors sought reasons to buy after the market`s strong rally to start the year.

With Agency Inputs