The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Monday opened higher by 294 points after rally in metal and oil and gas stocks, especially Reliance Industries. The 30-share index rose by 1.46 per cent to 20,326 points. The Sensex had gained over 91 points in the previous session. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by nearly 80 points,to 6,097 points. Analysts said that trading sentiment turned better after Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries reported a 27.80 per cent growth in its consolidated net profit at 4,923 crore rupees for the second quarter ended September 30, 2010. Meanwhile, in other markets in Asia, the Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up by 2.08 per cent, while the Japan's Nikkei shed 0.18 per cent in the morning trade on Monday.