By IANS
Mumbai : Indian equities markets opened positive Wednesday, mirroring strong global cues.
The 30-share benchmark sensitive index of the Bombay Stock Exchange opened with a gain of 177.23 points at 17,983.42. Twenty minutes after trading opened, the sensex was at 18,114.53, a gain of nearly 308 points compared to its close Tuesday.
At the same time the S&P Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was at 5,358.75, up 88.70 points from Tuesday’s close.
The market breadth was extremely positive with high volumes. In the initial trade 1,352 scrips advanced, 305 declined and 28 remained unchanged.
Asian markets were trading higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 2.86 percent or 679.35 points at 24,394.10. Japan’s Nikkei advanced 1.39 percent or 191.72 points at 14,016.44. Taiwan’s Taiwan Weighted shot up 1.43 percent or 119.09 points at 8,426.76. Singapore’s Straits Times rose 1.57 percent or 48.17 points at 3,126. South Korea’s Seoul Composite was up 0.91 percent or 15.54 points at 1,724.67.
The Dow Jones gained 114.70 points, or 0.91 percent at 12,684.92. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 17.51 points, or 0.75 percent at 2,344.99.
Power grid, Siemens Ltd, Spice Telecom, BHEL and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers at initial trade. Bajaj Auto, ING Vysya and Cadilla healthcare were among the top laggards.