Mumbai:Equity benchmarks began the trade on a positive note on Wednesday amid buying in banking counters and a firm trend in global markets. Continuing its previous day rally, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 361.94 points to 61,780.90 in early trade. The broader NSE Nifty gained 81.2 points to 18,325.40.
From the Sensex pack, State Bank of India, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Dr Reddy's, Wipro, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti, HDFC and HDFC Bank were among the major winners. ITC, UltraTech Cement, Hindustan Unilever and Power Grid were among the laggards. Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul and Hong Kong were trading higher, while Shanghai quoted lower.