Benchmark indices trade higher in early trade

Mumbai: Equity benchmarks began the trade on a positive note on Thursday helped by buying in index majors Reliance Industries and banking counters amid mixed global market trends.

The 30-share BSE benchmark climbed 415.98 points to 59,959.94 in early trade. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty advanced 127.55 points to 17,783.90.

In the Sensex pack, Titan, Tata Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Sun Pharma, HDFC, Dr Reddy's, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank were the major winners in early trade.

Maruti, NTPC, HCL Technologies, Infosys and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets



in Seoul and Hong Kong traded higher, while Tokyo and Shanghai quoted lower.

Wall Street had ended on a mixed note on Wednesday.

Stock markets were closed on Wednesday for 'Diwali Balipratipada'.

The BSE benchmark had declined 287.70 points or 0.48 per cent to finish at 59,543.96 on Tuesday. The Nifty fell 74.40 points or 0.42 per cent to end at 17,656.35.

International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.27 per cent higher at USD 95.95 per barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth Rs 247.01 crore on Tuesday, as per exchange data.