Markets end higher led by capital goods stocks

Larsen & Toubro top gainer among the Sensex stocks

Markets have ended higher in trades today led by gains in the capital goods stocks. The Sensex provisionally ended higher by 105 points at 16,321 abd the Nifty provisionally closed at 4,939, up 32 points.
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(Updated at 1430 hours)

Markets have come off the high levels in the late noon deals on the back of some selling pressure visible in the consumer durables and the FMCG stocks. The Sensex is up 60 points at 16,276 and the Nifty has advanced 18 points at 4,926 levels. Earlier in the day, the Sensex touched the high of 16,370 levels.

The European markets have opened on a flat note. The CAC 40 index is up 5 points at 3,063, DAX is up 14 points at 6,495 and the FTSE100 has added 15 points to 5,480 levels.

Most of the Asian markets ended in the red. Shanghai ended lower by 6 points at 2,375, Nikkei slipped 73 points to 8,900. However, Hang Seng gained 159 points at 19,894 levels.

Back home, Larsen & Toubro continues to remain the top gainer among the Sensex stocks on the back of better than expected Q4FY12 earnings. The stocks is trading higher by nearly 5% at Rs 1,213. Jindal Steel, Hero MotoCorp, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Sterlite Industries, DLF, Sun Pharma, Hindalco and Cipla are also among the gainers.

On the other hand, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, ITC, ONGC, Coal India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Gail India, Titan Industries, Tata Motors and Reliance Industries are among the laggards.

Led by gains in the heavyweight Larsen & Toubro, the BSE capital goods index is trading higher by nearly 3% at 9,073. Metal, IT, realty, bankes, teck, healthcare and power indices are also trading higher. While, FMCG index is the top sectoral loser, down 0.5% at 4,607. Consumer durables, PSU, oil & gas and auto indices are also in the negative.

The broader markets are trading on a listless note. The BSE mid-cap index is up 13 points at 5,902 and the small-cap index is down 5 points at 6,309.

The overall breadth is negative as 1,371 stocks are declining while 1,195 are advancing.