Sensex rises 150 points, Nifty reclaims 9,650; SBI top gainer

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Midcap and the S&P BSE Smallcap indices gained 0.4% each

The benchmark indices rose higher on Thursday even as Asian markets remained tentative after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting showed a lack of consensus on the future pace of interest rate increases, while oil prices inched higher following the previous day's steep declines.

At 11:29 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was trading at 31,404, up 159 points, while the broader Nifty50 was ruling at 9,677, up 39 points. 

In the broader market, The BSE Smallcap index (up 1%)  hit a new high after a strong gain in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, auto ancillaries, public sector banks and real estate stocks.