India, Nov. 5 -- Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty opened higher on Thursday as crude oil prices slumped to a two-month low, with investors betting that the Democrats' victory in the US midterm elections could hasten an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

After opening about 1,300 points up, Sensex stood at 78,722.77, extending the gains to 1,421.37 points or by 1.84 per cent at around 9:17 am on Thursday.

GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 24,295.5 as of 8:01 am, signalling a positive opening for the benchmark Nifty 50, which closed at 23,960.6 on Wednesday, according to figures cited in a Reuters report.

On Wednesday, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 383.55 points, or 0.50 per cent, to settle at 77,301.40, its highest close in more than ...