The BSE benchmark Sensex on Thursday rose by 118 points in early trade on sustained buying by funds amid a firm trend in other Asian bourses.
The 30-share index rose by 117.61 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 18,532.06 points with all sectoral indices, led by auto and realty, gaining up to 1.29 per cent. The index had gained 187.97 points on Wednesday.
The wide-based Nifty of the National Stock Exchange moved up by 22.00 points, or 0.40 per cent, to 5,580.70.
Brokers said sustained buying by funds as well as retail investors tracking a firming trend on other Asian bourses after US markets surged to new record highs yesterday on strong corporate earnings, mainly buoyed the trading sentiment here.
In the Asian markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose by 0.80 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei by 1.18 per cent in early trade today.
The US Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.88 per cent to close at fresh record high on Wednesday.