Sensex Gains Over 100 Points, Nifty Above 14,650

Asian markets were mostly higher; Nikkei 225 jumped 1.98 per cent, while the Topix index was up 1.97 per cent and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.7 per cent

The domestic stock markets have opened in the positive, extending the gains witnessed in the previous session, on the back of positive global cues. At 9:18 am, the BSE Sensex was trading at 48,7420.55, higher by 68.70 points or 0.15 per cent and the NSE Nifty was at 14,646.15, up 24.70 points or 0.15 per cent. Asian markets were mostly higher as investors look ahead to the U.S. jobs report due later this week for clues about how long the Fed will stay on hold. Nikkei 225 jumped 1.98 per cent, while the Topix index was up 1.97 per cent and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.7 per cent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was up 1.15 per cent. Wall Street's main indexes and the Dow hit a record high on Wednesday as growth stocks bounced from a steep selloff in the previous session and a survey showed private jobs rose in April. The Dow Jones was up 0.46 per cent, S&P 500 was up 0.54 per cent and Nasdaq Composite was up 0.63 per cent. Meanwhile, oil prices fell on Thursday as gasoline inventories in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer, rose for a fifth consecutive week although a draw in crude stockpiles helped to underpin prices.