(Updates for markets open)

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Indian shares opened higher on

Thursday, led by information technology stocks after the U.S.

Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point in a bid

to halt any slide in the labour market in the world's largest

economy.

The Nifty 50 added 0.44% to 25,441.05 and the

BSE Sensex rose 0.50% to 83,108.92 as of 09:15 a.m.

IST.

All 16 major sectors logged gains at the open. IT

companies, which earn a significant share of their revenue from

the U.S., rose 1%.

The broader small-caps and mid-caps

added 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively.

The Fed lowered rates for the first time this year on

Wednesday to address the weakness emerging in the labour market.

However, Fed Chair Jerome Powell tempered the more

aggressive easing expectations in markets, saying Wednesday's

move was a risk-management cut and that the central bank does

not need to move quickly on rates.

Lower U.S. interest rates make emerging markets such as

India attractive to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), as

Treasury yields and the dollar typically decline in such a

scenario.