Sensex rises by 154 points, off to a flying start in Muhurat trading

Market benchmark BSE Sensex rose by over 154 points to trade above the 28,000-mark on sustained buying by participants in the opening trade of a special Muhurat session to mark the start of Hindu Samvat Year 2073.

The Sensex surged by 154.20 points, or 0.55 per cent, to reach 28,095.71 in the first five minutes of trade. The index has registered a gain of 105 points in the previous two sessions.

All the sectoral indices, led by consumer durables, healthcare and metals, were trading in positive terrain with gains up to 1.01 per cent.

On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty also rose by 40.25 points, or 0.46 per cent to 8,678.25.

Brokers said buying activity gathered momentum as investors and funds opened their new accounts on the first session of Samvat 2073.

Major gainers that supported the key indices were Lupin, Wipro, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, M&M, Tata Steel, ONGC, Cipla, Asian Paints, Maruti, Bajaj Auto and Infosys, rising by up to 1.66 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Sensex gained 2,198.25 points, or 8.53 per cent while the broader NSE Nifty surged 854.65 points, or 10.98 per cent in Samvat 2072.