Opening Bell: Holi celebration starts on Dalal Street; Sensex, Nifty drenched in green

India VIX has plunged 6.43 per cent trading at 22.57 in the initial hour of the trading session.

On Thursday, the equity benchmark indices opened in the green with Nifty above 17,200 amid positive global cues as investors shook off the nervousness regarding the Fed's first hike in interest rates in more than three years.

At 9:16 am, Sensex was up 819.79 points or 1.44 per cent at 57636.44 level, and the Nifty was up 227.90 points or 1.34 per cent at 17203.20 level. About 1676 shares have advanced, 331 shares declined, and 66 shares are unchanged.

HDFC, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank, Shree Cements and Bajaj Finance were among major gainers on the Nifty, while losers were ONGC and IOC. India VIX has plunged 6.43 per cent trading at 22.57 in the initial hour of the trading session. At 9.20 am all the Sensex stocks were in the green, and the top gainers comprised HDFC, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Asian Paints and Kotak Bank, up between 2-3 per cent. 

In the broader markets, at 9.45 am, BSE Midcap index traded at 23,909.61 level, 1.43 per cent up while the BSE Smallcap index at 27,710.05 level, 1.19 per cent higher.

On the sectoral front, BSE Consumer Durables index was the top gainer, up by 2.39 per cent while the other sectoral indices were trading in green. Within BSE Consumer Durables index, the top gaining stocks lifting the index were Whirlpool, Rajesh Exports, Amber Enterprises, Voltas and Havells India.