Sensex up 42 pts; blue chips rise

The BSE Sensex edged up on Thursday, as blue chips from Infosys to BHELs extended a rally on continued strong buying by foreign investors, although volumes were thin in a holiday-shortened week. The Sensex closed up 41.88, or 0.2 per cent, at 21,074.59, while the Nifty ended higher 10.50 points, or 0.2 per cent, at 6,278.90. Blue chips were among the leading gainers, with Infosys rising one per cent, bringing its advance for the month to five per cent after hitting a record high on Friday. Some laggards earlier in the year are also ending 2013 strongly. BHEL gained 1.1 per cent and is up 11.8 per cent so far in December, heading for a fourth consecutive monthly gain.