The Indian equity markets surged in early trade on Thursday, with buying activity in IT and banking stocks driving the benchmark indices higher.

The BSE Sensex, which tracks 30 blue-chip stocks, rose by 242.95 points to reach 78,750.36 in the initial hours of trading. Similarly, the NSE Nifty also saw an uptick, gaining 69.25 points to trade at 23,812.15. Key stocks driving the market’s growth included large-cap IT and banking companies, such as Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Tata Consultancy Services.