Indian benchmark indices rose for a third straight session on Thursday, driven by gains in financial heavyweights and Reliance Industries. Eased U.S. inflation in December boosted hopes of further rate cuts by the U.

Markets in India are expected to open higher following a strong showing on Wall Street after a lower-than-expected core inflation reading there

Reliance Industries Ltd., HDFC Bank Ltd., Maruti Suzuki Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., Larsen & Toubro added to the Nifty 50 index.

Highlights:Among the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap100 and Nifty Smallcap100 ended with gains of 0.41 per cent and 0.56 per cent, respectively

The Nifty managed to hold onto levels above 23,200, closing up by 37 points at 23,213, while the Sensex rose by 224 points, settling at 76,724. The Midcap index gained 223 points, finishing at 53,899,

The BSE Sensex rose 318.74 points, or 0.42%, to 77,042.82. Likewise, Nifty 50 gained 98.60 points, or 0.42%, to 23,311.80.

The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a positive start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 23,405 level, a premium of nearly 140 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close.

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex started on Thursday on a positive note, recording their third consecutive day of gains. Investor sentiment was lifted by December's cooler-than-expected US inflation data,

The stock market seems to be continuing its rally for the third consecutive day by opening in the green on Thursday.

For the benchmark Nifty 50 Index 23260 would be the key level to watch out for and above the same market could bounce back till 23350-23400, said experts