The S&P BSE Sensex index climbed up 0.31 per cent to touch 48,537.20 in early deals, and the broader Nifty 50 benchmark touched 14,538.15, up 0.37 per cent from its previous close.
Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance and Tech Mahindra, trading between 1.16 per cent and 1.61 per cent higher, were among the top percentage gainers in the Sensex universe. On the other hand, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank and Asian Paints, down between 0.81 per cent and 1.55 per cent each, were the biggest losers.
Equities elsewhere in Asia were trading mostly lower at the last count. Korea’s Kospi edged 0.05 per cent lower while China’s Shanghai Composite index shed 0.18 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei declined 0.17 per cent to 29,087. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.26 per cent.
Overnight on Wall Street, US stocks rose modestly at the start of a busy week featuring Federal Reserve and OPEC meetings and major US corporate earnings.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite index rose 0.9 per cent to overtake its previous record, the broad-based S&P500 index gained 0.2 per cent to narrowly top its all-time high, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 0.2 per cent.
Crude oil prices bounced back early on Tuesday from drops in the previous session, but gains were seen likely capped by growing concern about fuel demand in India, the world’s third-biggest crude importer now slammed by spiralling new coronavirus cases.
Brent crude was up 26 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $65.91 a barrel.
The dollar hovered near multi-week lows versus major peers on Tuesday, weighed by subdued Treasury yields, as investors consolidated positions ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision this week.
The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against six peers, was little changed at 90.859 early in the Asian session, after dipping to the lowest since March 3 overnight at 90.679.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. MORE TO COME…
