The Sensex jumped over 296 points in early trading, lifted by a solid trend in global markets, as benchmark equity indexes began on a firm footing on Friday, extending the gain from the previous day.

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The 30-share BSE index was up 296.45 points at 57,817.51, while the NSE Nifty was up 99.3 points at 17,344.35.

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Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, IndusInd Bank, M&M, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and ICICI Bank were among the Sensex’s early gainers. Axis Bank, Power Grid, ITC, Hindustan Unilever Limited, and Nestle, on the other hand, were among the laggards.

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In mid-session transactions, Asian markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Seoul were trading in the green. On Thursday, US stocks concluded the day with huge gains.

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On Thursday, the BSE benchmark rose 701.67 points, or 1.23%, to 57,521.06. The Nifty recovered 206.65 points, or 1.21%, to 17,245.05.

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Following a string of days of selling, foreign institutional investors turned net buys on Thursday, buying shares worth Rs 743.22 crore, according to stock market data.

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Meanwhile, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 0.2% to USD 107.80 a barrel. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 76.62 against the American dollar and moved in a narrow range. It touched an early high of 76.53 and a low of 76.63 in initial deals.