The BSE Sensex rose 310 points, or 0.4%, to 82,168 in early trade on Thursday, gaining for the sixth straight session and hitting its highest level since July 24. Almost all sectors traded in the green, including oil & gas, real estate, banking, financial services, and metals. Optimism over GST reforms continued to lift sentiment. Fresh data also fueled the rally, as preliminary figures showed that India's private sector grew at a record pace, driven by stronger growth in both manufacturing and services. Notably, factory activity expanded at its fastest rate since 2008. However, gains were capped by a weak session on Wall Street overnight, where tech stocks continued to decline. Caution also lingered ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium, with investors looking to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming speech for guidance on the September monetary policy decision. Among early gainers were Bajaj Finserv (up 1.5%), Larsen & Toubro (1.3%), Reliance Industries (1.2%), and ICICI Bank (1.0%)