The BSE benchmark Sensex rose by over 234 points in the opening trade on Thursday, on robust country export figures and better-than-expected expansion of the economy.

The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange that had gained 713.39 points in previous last three sessions, rose by another 234.25 points or 1.18 per cent to reach 20,084.25 level in first five minutes of trading.

The Sensex rally was backed by surge in realty and banking stocks.

Likewise, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index moved up by 68.60 points to 6,029.50 points, buoyed by the news of a 21.3 per cent rise in exports for the six months spanning April-October this year.

The brokers said the surge reflected investors’confidence after robust economic growth figures and a rise in country’s total exports reinforced the impression that Indian growth story was still intact.

Besides, they said, a better trend in Asian regions further fuelled the uptrend.

In other Asian markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index Japan’s Nikkei Index were up by 1.13 per cent and 1.78 percent, respectively.

In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Index ended 2.27 per cent high than its previous close.