Sensex jumps 712 pts in early trade; Nifty above 17,300

Mumbai, Jan. 31 (PTI): Equity benchmark Sensex surged 712 points in opening trade on Monday, tracking gains in index-majors Wipro, Bajaj Finance and Infosys amid a positive trend in the Asian markets.

Starting on a positive note, the BSE gauge was trading 712.61 points or 1.25 per cent higher at 57,912.84 in early trade. Likewise, the Nifty advanced 216.95 points or 1.27 per cent to 17,318.90.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Economic Survey 2021-22 later in the day.

Tech Mahindra was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.85 per cent, followed by Wipro, Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finserv, Ultratech Cement and Infosys.

On the other hand, NTPC, IndusInd Bank and L&T were the laggards.

In the previous session, the 30-share BSE index finished 76.71 points or 0.13 per cent lower at 57,200.23. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 8.20 points or 0.05 per cent to 17,101.95.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong and Tokyo were trading with gains in mid-session deals.

Markets in China and South Korea are closed for a holiday.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude rose 1.31 per cent to USD 91.21 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the capital markets, pulling out INR 5,045.34 crore Friday, as per provisional data.