Indian equities began Thursday on a positive note, with major indexes advancing as U.S. Treasury yields retreated from recent peaks following the release of weak private sector employment data. Oil prices also stabilized after earlier climbing to more than one-month highs.
Index Moves at the Open
The 30-share BSE Sensex edged up 303 points, or 0.40 percent, to 76,873. The NSE Nifty index gained 90 points, or 0.4 percent, to settle at 24,004.
Banking Stocks in Focus
SBI, Eternal, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Adani Ports were among the prominent gainers, each rising around 1 percent.
ICICI Bank climbed 1.4 percent after saying it has mobilized around $17.88 billion (about Rs. 1.70 lakh crore) through FCNR(B) deposits under the RBI's special swap facility.
Other Notable Movers
- Bluestar advanced 1.7 percent following the completion of its MedTech business sale to Cyrix.
- Sterlite Technologies rose 2 percent as CRISIL upgraded its long-term credit ratings on bank loan facilities and three NCDs.
- HUDCO rallied 2.8 percent after signing a pact to provide up to Rs 25,000 crore in funding over 5 years for development of industrial infrastructure and land acquisition for industrial park projects in Bihar.
- Omaxe fell 2.2 percent after SAT dismissed its appeal against SEBI's order over financial statement regularities.