The BSE Sensex rose 298 points, or 0.4%, to 82,992 in morning trade on Thursday, marking its third consecutive gain and reaching its highest level since July 10. The upturn was buoyed by the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut and signals of an additional 50 basis points in cuts before year-end, fueling rising hopes of increased foreign inflows.Optimism over US-India trade talks and anticipation surrounding GST reforms taking effect on September 22 also supported market sentiment. The Nifty 50 climbed 0.3%, trading above 25,400, while small-cap and mid-cap stocks advanced 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively. Almost all sectors traded in the green, led by technology, which rose 1.0%. Among the early gainers were Infosys (+1.3%), HCL Technologies (+1.2%), Hindustan Unilever (+1.2%), HDFC Bank (+1.1%), and Sun Pharmaceutical (+0.9%).