Sensex above 54,600 while Asian markets remain mixed, FTSE 100 extends gains

US inflation data showed inflation the largest month-to-month drop for 15 months

London-listed share price continue to gain, reaching the best levels since February 2020 (PA)

India’s domestic equity market benchmarks are trading in the green on Thursday, a day of the weekly F&O expiry day. BSE Sensex is above 54,600 levels, while the Nifty 50 index was above 16,300.

Asian markets were mixed on Thursday as investors remain cautious amid weakness in tech stocks. The Japanese Nikkei is trading in green, while Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng are both seeing a volatile session, trading in red.

The Wall Street indices jumped to new highs on Wednesday following upbeat inflation data, however, weakness in tech stocks continued. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 per cent, to hit a new all time high, while the S&P 500 index added 0.2 per cent, while tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.16 per cent.

The US Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index data released on Wednesday showed inflation increasing by 0.5 per cent in July after a 0.9 per cent rise in June, the largest month-to-month drop for 15 months.

London’s FTSE 100 extended gains on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels of 18 months while the domestic index hits record highs again.

The blue-chip ended 59 points or 0.8 per cent higher at 7,220 points, its highest level since Feb 2020. Financial stocks and export-oriented sectors such as mining and consumer staples were the biggest boosts.

Meanwhile, the domestically focused FTSE 250 also surged 0.8 per cent and ended at a record high of 23,757 points, with the help of aerospace supplier Meggitt.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally closed up by 0.4 per cent.