Sensex up 49 points; oil and gas, metals stocks up

Mumbai  : A benchmark index of Indian equities markets was trading 49.97 points up around 12.40 p.m. Thursday as oil and gas, metals, auto and banks stocks rose.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 18,712.41 points, was ruling at 18,759.99 points, 49.97 points or 0.27 percent up from its previous day’s close at 18,710.02 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 18,778.43 points and a low of 18,699.07 in intra-day trade.

The BSE midcap index was down 9.62 points while the smallcap index was marginally up 3.65 points.

On the sectoral front, the BSE oil and gas index was up 40.01 points followed by the metal index, up 35.61 points; the auto index, up 21.63 points and the bank index, up 6.95 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was up by 16.10 points or 0.28 percent at 5,707.50 points.

Main Sensex gainers were Sterlite Inds, up 2.18 percent at Rs.100.60; HDFC, up 1.61 percent at Rs.762.70; Hero MotoCorp, up 1.59 percent at Rs.1,824.50; Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), up 1.33 percent at Rs.838.80 and Hindalco Inds, up 0.93 percent at Rs.114.40.

Main Sensex losers were Dr.Reddys Lab, down 1.16 percent at Rs.1,711.05; Maruti Suzuki, down 1.15 percent at Rs.1,351.00; Jindal Steel, down 0.97 percent at Rs.387.10; Hindustan Uniliver, 0.96 percent at Rs.564.90 and Cipla, down 0.79 percent at Rs.362.15.

Among other Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei was up 1.13 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was trading 0.04 percent lower. Shanghai’s Composite Index was down 0.66 points.

Photo  : AFP