| However, the rupee rose to 39.93 on Thursday against yesterday's close of 40.20. The effect of this rise on the markets could be seen tomorrow. |
| Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers of stocks to the tune of Rs 209.43 crore, while domestic institutions sold stocks worth Rs 140.68 crore. |
| The IT index on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was the top gainer (up by 4.77 per cent) on Thursday. |
| The BSE Sensex rose by 0.66 per cent, or 117 points, to 17,734.68 points. The broader index Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) managed to gain 0.72 per cent, or 37.35 points, to close at 5,191 points. |
| Sashi Krishnan, chief investment officer at Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, said, "Not much should be read into small advances and declines of the market. In the coming days, markets would be event-driven, considering the Union Budget and the derivative rollover next week." |
| Satyam Computers was the top gainer (up 8 per cent) at Rs 458.20. Other gainers included Hindalco, which was up 7.22 per cent at Rs 189.45, Wipro 4.95 per cent at Rs 431.45, Tata Steel 4.33 per cent at Rs 806 and TCS 3.89 per cent at Rs 918. |
| The metal index on BSE was the second top gainer as it rose by 3.83 per cent. A sharp rise in global commodity prices was the chief reason for the surge of buying interest in metal stocks, said Krishnan. |
| The total market-wide breadth showed that 52.43 per cent or 1,459 stocks advanced while 1,251 stocks declined. |
| The Asian markets too closed on a positive note. Nikkei was up 2.84 per cent. Taiwan Weighted gained 2.43 per cent. Hang Seng moved up by 0.14 per cent and Seoul Composite edged higher by 0.99 per cent. |
| US markets too had closed on a modest note yesterday on anticipations of strong quarterly earnings and a further cut in interest rates. |
| The Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.73 per cent. The S&P 500 index rose 0.83 per cent and Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.91 per cent. |
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