Sensex closes 34 points high, FMCG, IT stocks up

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday closed nearly 34 points higher, shedding early gains after the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) reports on coal, power and Delhi airport were placed in Parliament.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,701.20 points, closed at 17,691.08 points, 0.19 percent or 33.87 points up from its previous day’s close at 17,657.21 points.

The Sensex had risen 140 points during the day. It touched a high of 17,801.39 points and a low of 17,622.62 points in intra-day trade.

The BSE FMCG index was up 64.87 points, and so was the IT index, up 63.65 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed 0.06 percent higher at 5,366.30 points.

The major Sensex gainers were Tata Motors, up 2.12 percent at Rs.240.45; Infosys, up 1.61 percent at Rs.2,351.40; Hindustan Unilever, up 1.53 percent at Rs.502.10; ITC, up 1.43 percent at Rs.261.85; and Wipro, up 1.17 percent at Rs.353.65.

The main Sensex losers were Jindal Steel, down 4.02 percent at Rs.402.10; Tata Power, down 3.71 percent at Rs.97.35; Hindalco Inds, down 2.48 percent at Rs.113.95; Gail India, down 1.72 percent at Rs.360.55; and Larsen and Toubro, down 1.48 percent at Rs.1,452.65.

Among other Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.77 percent up, Shanghai’s composite index closed 0.13 percent down. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.77 percent up.

At closing bell here, European markets were green too. France’s CAC was up 0.08 percent. Germany’s DAX was 0.21 percent up and Britain’s FTSE 100 was 0.19 percent up.