Markets open on positive note: Sensex up 172 points, Nifty above 14,650 Kunal Patil/ PTI The stock markets opened on a positive note on Thursday. The benchmark indices were in the green. Sensex rose over 172 points in early trade on Thursday, tracking gains in index majors HDFC twins, ITC and Bajaj Finance amid largely positive cues from Asian peers. The 30-share BSE index was trading 174.54 points or 0.36 percent higher at 48,852.09 in initial deals. NSE Nifty advanced 69.05 points or 0.47 percent to 14,686.90. Bajaj Auto was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, gaining over 2 percent, followed by Bajaj Finance, ITC, HDFC, Titan, Maruti and M&M.