Stock markets rally in early trade on slump in oil prices, positive trend in Asian peers

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty extended their previous session’s rally in early trade on Wednesday, tracking a sharp decline in crude oil prices and a positive trend in Asian markets, amid hopes of de-escalation in the West Asia war. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 885.32 points to 74,953.77 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty surged 307.65 points to 23,220.05. From the 30-Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, HDFC Bank, Trent and Eternal were the biggest gainers. Tech Mahindra and Infosys were the laggards. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, tumbled 4.34 per cent to USD 99.95…