The Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, opened higher on Thursday tracking gains in Asian markets after the US Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate near zero and signalled it was in no rush to taper stimulus.

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At 9:15 am, the Sensex opened 0.48 percent, or 249.82 points higher at 52,693.53. The Nifty50 index opened at 15,762.70, up 53.30 points, or 0.34 percent. Broader indices supported upmove with the midcap and smallcap indices trading over half a percent higher.

Tata Motors, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Titan, and Power Grid were the top gainers in the opening session. Maruti, SBI Life, Nestle India, Eicher Motors, and Bajaj Auto led the losses.

The sectoral indices on the Nifty50 index were all trading in the green, with Nifty IT rising nearly 1 percent. Financials, media, metals, and pharma stocks rallied half a percent.

Globally, Asian shares managed a semblance of calm on Thursday after Fed's decision to keep the interest rates unchanged. But the investors were waiting to see if Beijing could stem the recent bloodletting in Chinese shares.

There was also some promising news on the long-awaited U.S. infrastructure bill as the Senate voted to move ahead on the $1.2 trillion deal.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan bounced 1.1 percent, having slid to its lowest since early December on Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei edged up 0.4 percent.

S&P 500 futures eased 0.2 percent, as did EUROSTOXX 50 futures.

In commodity markets, gold remained sidelined at $1,808 an ounce having now spent 17 sessions in a $30 range.

Oil prices firmed after data showed U.S. crude inventories fell to pre-pandemic levels, bringing the market's focus back to tight supplies rather than rising COVID-19 infections.

-- With inputs from Reuters

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