With a key market index up nearly 100 points within an hour of trading on Thursday, Indian equities began trading on the first day of the new fiscal on a firm note, backed by strong cues from other Asian markets.

Opening at 17,555.04 points against the previous close at 17,527.77 points, the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) rose to a high of 17,654.79 points soon after.

With a gain of 97.88 points, or 0.56 percent, an hour into trading, the index was ruling at 17,625.65 points.

Twenty-two of the 30 Sensex scrips were in the positive territory, seven ruling lower and one was unchanged. This apart, all the 13 sector-specific indices were trading in the green, led by those for consumer durables, information technology and capital goods.

The broader S&P CNX Nifty at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), a basket of 50 shares, was ruling at 5275.40 points, with a gain of 26.30 points, or 0.50 percent. (With Inputs from Agencies)