Sensex rises 176 points, Nifty swings above 10,760

New Delhi: Markets opened in green on Thursday led by gains in banking stocks amidst positive global cues.

The BSE Sensex rose 175.84 points or 0.48 percent to 36,504.85 while the NSE Nifty edged higher by 54.70 points or 0.51 percent to 10,760.45 in early trade.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, Tata Steel, SBI, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paint, Infosys, Axis Bank, TCS, Bajaj Auto, NTPC and Bajaj Finserve, rising upto 2.73 percent. On the other hand, major losers were Tech Mahindra, ITC, HDFC, Kotak Bank, Ultrachem and HDFC Bank, falling upto 0.49 percent.

Among Asian peers, MSCI`s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.6% and touched a 20-week high as Chinese stocks extended their extraordinary rally. Japan`s Nikkei edged ahead by 0.2%. China`s blue-chip index rose for an eighth straight session in early trade on Thursday, gaining 0.6% to touch a five-year high. The Shanghai Composite was up by the same margin and at its highest level since early 2018. The mood lifted Australia`s S&P/ASX 200 1%, though New Zealand`s benchmark fell nearly 2%, a Reuters report said.

In the previous session on Wednesday the 30-share BSE Sensex buckled under selling pressure in the last hour of trade to close 345.51 points, or 0.95 per cent, lower at 36,329.01. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty shed 93.90 points, or 0.87 per cent, to close at 10,705.75.