Sensex up over 45 points in early trade

The BSE benchmark Sensex on Thursday gained over 45 points in early trade on sustained buying by funds and retailers in oil and gas, PSUs, IT and banking sector stocks, after Finance Minister P Chidambaram reaffirmed government's commitment to reforms.

The 30-share barometer moved up by 45.67 points, or 0.22%, to trade at 20,072.28 points in early trade. The index had gained 45.04 points on Wednesday.

The wide-based index of National Stock Exchange, Nifty, gained 11.00 points, or 0.18%, to 6,065.30.

Brokers said trading sentiment remained firm on continued buying by funds and retail investors, after the Finance Minister reaffirmed government's commitment to reforms.

Besides, a firming trend in other Asian markets after data showing that Chinese manufacturing activity had hit a two-year high in January, too had a positive impact, they said.

In the Asian region, the Japan's Nikkei rose by 1.28%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.02% in morning trade. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.49% higher in yesterday's trade.