Indian equities opened sharply higher, with the Sensex up 440 points to 77,435.76 and the Nifty gaining 138 points to 24,147.60. The move followed a 1.7% drop in Brent crude to USD 72.49 per barrel as geopolitical risk premiums eased and supply conditions stabilized. Asian markets were mostly higher, led by South Korea’s Kospi up over 5% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 nearly 4% higher. Foreign investors were net sellers on Wednesday, offloading Rs 1,843.40 crore, according to exchange data.