FTSE 100 rises after long Easter weekend where US markets hit record high, Sensex opens in green

The Asian market had a mixed opening despite the rally in the US on Monday

US markets hit a record high on Monday (Getty Images)

The FTSE 100 opened 1.2 per cent higher on Tuesday after a long weekend and a positive closing last week, lifted by the hopes of economic recovery.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose to 6,817.94, up 80.6 points on Thursday’s close of 6,737. The FTSE 250 gained 269.52 points to 22,002.19.

Elsewhere, Asian markets saw a mixed opening this morning even as Wall Street soared to new heights.

Nikkei 225 traded with huge losses and continued to be over 300 points down around 1pm. The Hang Seng index will remain closed on Tuesday. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.93 per cent. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan traded 0.24 per cent higher.

US stocks rallied on Monday with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at record levels. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 373 points to 33,527.19. The S&P 500 gained 1.4 per cent to 4,077.91. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also climbed 1.7 per cent to 13,705.59.

The Indian markets opened higher on Tuesday with the Sensex opening 281 points, or 0.57 per cent higher at 49,441.13, while the Nifty gained 99 points, or 0.68 per cent to open at 14,737.00. The metals, IT and auto stocks are gaining while banks and financials were under pressure.

The Indian benchmark had fallen sharply on Monday amid the news of rapidly rising Covid-19 cases in the country. The Sensex was down by 870 points, or 1.74 per cent, to 49,159.32, while the Nifty ended 229 points, or 1.54 per cent lower at 14,637.80.