Stock Market Updates: Sensex gains 150 points, Nifty above 18,300; Asian Paints zooms 5%

Indian benchmark indices opened on a higher note amid mixed global cues. At 09:21 hours, the 30-share BSE index was trading 156 points or 0.25 per cent higher at 61,506.52, and the broader NSE Nifty was up 40 points or 0.22 per cent to 18,308.40.

Asian Paints was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, advancing over 5 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, DRL, L&T, TCS, SBI, Infosys, Nestle India and HUL.

On the other hand, Axis Bank and Bajaj Finance were the top losers.

Benchmark indices closed higher for the second straight session on Tuesday, buoyed by shares of Reliance Industries, Kotak Bank and Bajaj Finance amid a largely positive trend in global markets.

Sensex ended 383.21 points higher at 61,350 and Nifty surged 143 points to 18,268.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 2,368 crore on October 26, and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,385 crore, as per provisional data available on NSE.