Markets

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty began the trade on an optimistic note on Wednesday mainly due to buying in index heavyweights Infosys and HDFC Bank amid a mixed trend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 366.49 points or 0.48% to trade at 76,204.85. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty advanced 80.60 points or 0.35% to 23,105.25. In the Sensex pack, Infosys, Sun Pharmaceutical, Tata Consultancy Services, ITC, ICICI Bank, Titan, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance were among the gainers. Zomato, Tata Motors, PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, State Bank of India, Tata Steel and Adani Ports were the major laggards.

In Asian markets, Tokyo and Seoul were trading in the green territory while Shanghai and Hong Kong were quoting in the red. Wall Street had ended higher in overnight deals on Tuesday.

International oil benchmark Brent Crude was trading 0.06% at USD 79.34 a barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded shares worth Rs 5,920.28 crore on Tuesday.

The BSE Sensex plummeted 1,235.08 points to settle at 75,838.36 and the broader NSE Nifty plunged 320.10 points to close at 23,024.65 on Tuesday.