The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 218 points in opening trade on Wednesday on buying by funds and retail investors after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee ruled out withdrawal of stimulus packages.

The 30-share index rose by 218.29 points, or 1.41 per cent, to 15,623.23 points with all the sectoral indices gaining up to 2.82 per cent. The BSE barometer had lost over 1,405 points, or 8.5 per cent, in the previous six sessions to hit two-month lows.