Sensex up 100 pts; 3i Infotech zooms 10%; Quess Corp 6%

Equity benchmark indices started Thursday’s trading session on a cautious note, amid mixed global cues and the weekly Nifty options expiry later today.

The S&P BSE Sensex quoted with a gain of 100-odd points around 66,110. The NSE Nifty50 was seen testing the 19,850 level.

Asain Paints, up 1 per cent, was the top mover among the Sensex 30 shares followed by Wipro, Nestle India, JSW Steel and Bajaj Finserv. On the flip side, UltraTech Cement and Sun Pharma were marginally in red.

In the broader market, the BSE MidCap index advanced 0.4 per cent, while the SmallCap added 0.6 per cent.

Overnight, the US market ended higher on hopes that the Fed may be done with rate hikes after data data suggested that the economy is easing but may stay strong enough to avoid recession.

Near home, Nikkei, Kospi and Taiwan gained 0.1 – 0.3 per cent, while Hang Seng and Shanghai indices slipped up to 0.7 per cent.

Crude oil prices were in focus owing to the unexpected delay in OPEC+ meeting scheduled for Sunday. This morning, Brent crude was down 1.4 per cent at $80.8 per barrel.