BENGALURU: Indian shares inched higher on Wednesday in the run-up to a slew of corporate earnings and on positive global cues after US Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen advocated for a huge fiscal relief package in the United States.

The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.4% to 14,540 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.2% at 49,507.12 by 0350 GMT. The Nifty and Sensex rose 1.7% on Tuesday.

Shares of Nifty 50 components Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv were mostly flat ahead of their Dec. quarter earnings later in the day.

Asian shares climbed to a record high on Wednesday over Yellen's backing for more stimulus to help the world's largest economy ride out a pandemic-driven slump.