Sensex rises 200 pts at pre-open, Nifty tops 24,300; Asia markets rise

The Nifty50 and the Sensex rose, tracking gains in PSU bank shares, while oil prices extended losses as Iran and Oman co-operate to open the Strait of Hormuz.

As of 10:00 AM, the Sensex rose 277.50 points or 0.36 per cent to 77,933.59 and the Nifty50 was up 36.15 points or 0.15 per cent at 24,370.70.

ICICI Bank, SBI Life Insurance Company, and HDFC Life Insurance Company were the top gainers in the Nifty50.

In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap and the Nifty SmallCap were trading 0.19 per cent and 0.51 per cent higher, respectively.

Sector-wise, the Nifty PSU Bank rose 1 per cent and outperformed peers, while the Nifty Metal underperformed.