Feb 19 (Reuters) - India's stock benchmarks inched higher at the open on Thursday on optimism over improving earnings outlook.
The Nifty 50 rose 0.21% to 25,873.35 and the BSE Sensex added 0.28% to 83,969.82, as of 9:15 a.m. IST.
Fifteen of the 16 major sectors opened higher. The broader small-caps and mid-caps rose 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively.
Both the Nifty and Sensex have gained about 1.4% in the last three sessions, with sentiment aided by an in-line December-quarter earnings season despite a one-time hit of labour code-related charges.
IT stocks, which suffered a rout due to AI-led disruption fears, rose 1% at the open, with analysts terming the rise as a tactical bounce after the sharp selloff.
(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Sonia Cheema)
