Consumer durables shine

STOCK REPORT

Key indices ended at record closing levels on Monday on buying in shares of consumer durables companies. Sensex, Nifty ended up 0.5 per cent each.

BSE Consumer Durables Index, up 2 per cent, was the top gainer among BSE indices. Some amount of short covering ahead of November derivatives contracts expiry Thursday also aided the upside, dealers said.

The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensex ended at 13773.59, up 70.26 points or 0.5 per cent from Friday. Intraday it touched a lifetime high of 13799.02.

The National Stock Exchange's 50-share Nifty ended at 3968.90, up 18.05 points or 0.5 per cent. Intraday it moved between 3948.85 and 3974.85.

Combined turnover on the exchanges was roughly Rs 124 billion, against Rs 141 billion on Friday.

CNX Midcap and S&P CNX 500 ended up 0.5% each. On BSE advances led declines 1.3:1.

Tata Power Supply Co. rose 2 per cent to Rs 590 after the company on Monday reported above expected jump in Jul-Sep net profit. ACC, up 3.3 per cent at Rs 1,109, was the top Nifty gainer.

Gujarat Ambuja Cements surged 3 per cent to Rs 143, as Chhattisgarh High Court Friday approved the company's merger with Ambuja Cement Eastern.

Hindalco Industries was up 1 per cent at Rs 180 on reports the company has been shortlisted along with eight other companies which have bid to develop Afghanistan's Aynak copper deposits.

Among shares of consumer durable companies, Videocon Industries was up 1.4 per cent at Rs 455, and Voltas surged 6 per cent to Rs 109. Debutante Lanco Infratech closed at Rs 240.75, marginally higher than its issue price of Rs 240. It listed at Rs 260 on the NSE, and Rs 270 on the BSE.