After a strong opening, the markets continue to trade in the higher with the Sensex up 165 points at 18,209 and the nifty added 54 points at 5,458 due to the buying interest in Oil & Gas and banking spaces. In the broader markets, the midcap index has surged by over 1% outperforming the Sensex which was up 0.9% and the smallcap index which added 0.7%
Among the sectoral indices, Consumer Durables has pared its initial gains and has slipped into the red, losing 0.2% while there has been no significant improvement in the auto space which continues to be a laggard, down 0.7%. Bankex index on the other hand advanced by 1.5% and is the top gainer among the sectors followed by Realty and Oil & Gas indices.
In the midcap space, of the total 280 scrips listed, 225 scrips advanced while only 53 declined. The movers in this space are Simplex and Hindustan Construction up 5% each followed by KGN Industries, Ramky Infrastructure, Godfrey Phillips India and Sintex Industries which added 4% each.
The top gainers among the Sensex are Hindalco up 3.5% followed by ICICI Bank, Jaiprakash Associates, ONGC, Mahindra & Mahindra and Reliance Communication which gained 2% each.
Among the losers, Tata Motors slipped further, down 5% continues to lead the losers list after its disappointing quarterly numbers. Hindustan Unilever and Hero Honda losing nearly 1% each are the other notable losers.
The market breadth continues to be positive. Of the total 2324 scrips traded on the BSE, 1497 scrips advanced while 734 declined.