Markets rally in early trade amid optimism over Iran-Israel ceasefire

New Delhi: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied in early trade on Thursday, taking their winning momentum to the third day running, amid optimism following a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 163.27 points to 82,918.78 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up 64.35 points to 25,309.10.

Later, the BSE benchmark traded 415.98 points higher at 83,171.49, and the Nifty quoted 115.50 points up at 25,359.45.

Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India, and Tata Consultancy Services were the laggards.

In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Shanghai's SSE Composite index were trading higher while South Korea's Kospi and Hong Kong's Hang Seng quoted lower.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 2,427.74 crore on Wednesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DII) bought stocks worth Rs 2,372.96 crore, according to exchange data.

On Wednesday, the 30-share Sensex jumped 700.40 points, or 0.85 percent, to settle at 82,755.51. The Nifty climbed 200.40 points, or 0.80 percent, to 25,244.75.

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