Indian stock markets gain in early trade amid oil relief, Israel-Lebanon ceasefire

MUMBAI: Domestic equity benchmarks opened on a flat note on Friday, but gained afterwards, after relief in global oil prices and US President Donald Trump's ceasefire announcement between Israel and Lebanon.

Sensex opened at 77,976, down 12 points, or 0.02 per cent, while Nifty began the session up 30 points, or 0.13 per cent, at 24,165.

The indices traded mildly positive further, with the 30-scrip basket gaining 142 points or 0.18 per cent to 78,130 and the 50-share index adding 28 points or 0.11 per cent to 24,224 amid buying in FMCG, energy, and realty stocks.

HDFC Life, Wipro, Hindalco Industries, Bharti Airtel, and JSW Steel were among the top laggards in the early trading session.

Among broader indices, micro-cap and small-cap stocks led the momentum, with the Nifty Microcap 250 trading around 1 per cent higher and the Nifty Smallcap 250 rising about 1 per cent.