Mumbai, April 21: The Sensex opened on a positive note tracking global markets which rose after crude prices rebounded from historic lows. In the pre-opening session, Sensex gained 700 points and Nifty crossed the 9,200 mark. Sensex was trading at 31,522.79, up 143.24 (0.46 percent). NSE Nifty, on the other hand, was at 9,242 at 9:50 am 

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index jumped 456.94 points, or 1.99 per cent, to 23,475.82. The S&P500 index rose 62.75 points, or 2.29 per cent, to 2,799.31. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 232.15 points, or 2.81 per cent, to 8,495.38. The promise of more US government aid to support the economy from further crumbling improved the investor sentiments. Coronavirus Cases Reach 21,393 in India, Death Toll Jumps to 681 After 41 COVID-19 Patients Die in Past 24 Hours.

The Asian markets remained flat in early trade, Hang Seng, Kospi, Nikkei and STI gained up to 0.5 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite edged 0.04 per cent lower. On Wednesday, the markets ended on a positive note boosted by gains in RIL, after the Facebook and Jio deal.

Coronavirus cases in the country continue to rise. The total COVID-19 cases reached 21,393 with 1,409 new patients being reported in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday. Out of 21,393 cases, 16,454 are still active, while 4257 patients were successfully treated. The death toll due to coronavirus has jumped to 681.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2020 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).