Sensex opens above 56,000 as Asian stocks climb, US falls as FTSE 100 closes ahead Business News

India’s Sensex index opened above 56,000 for the first time on Wednesday, gaining 0.43%, while NSE Nifty 50 zoomed in to approach 16,700, gaining more than 0.41%.

Asia-Pacific equities were higher on Wednesday morning as investors reacted to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s decision on interest rates. Stocks of Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China are all trading in the green with gains of over half a percent.

Stocks on Wall Street fell on Tuesday as July retail sales declined and concerns about slowing global economic growth intensified. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 282 points, or 0.8% to 35,343. The S&P 500 lost 0.7% to 4,448 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.9% to close at 14,656.

London’s FTSE 100 closed 0.3% higher, helped by gains in energy and health heavyweight stocks, while strong earnings at BHP Group boosted sentiment.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index finished up 0.3%, after falling 0.5%, helped by oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell as crude prices recouped initial losses.