The key benchmark indices advanced today led by gains in realty, banking, capital goods and metal stocks. Global markets were buoyed by the Feds positive take on the economy. The benchmark Sensex jumped 282 points to 15,302 levels and the Nifty rose 84 points at 4,541.

On the sectoral front, the realty index on the BSE gained 2.8 per cent and the metal index rose 2.3 per cent. The BSE capital goods index was up 2.2 per cent.

Among the Sensex stocks, ICICI Bank led the gainers. The stock advanced 4.1 per cent. Sterlite Industries, M&M and Hindalco were the other main gainers in the pack, up more than 3 per cent each.

In US markets, stocks bounded higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve ended a two-day meeting by saying the economy appears to be "levelling out" rather than shrinking at a slower rate.

The Dow rose 120.16, or 1.3 percent, to 9,361.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 11.46, or 1.2 percent, to 1,005.81, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 28.99, or 1.5 percent, to 1,998.72.

Asian markets were also trading higher today. Hong Kongs Hang Seng was up 1.9 per cent while Japans Nikkei rose 1 per cent. Chinas Shanghai Composite, however, slipped 0.4 per cent.