Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their buying spree by investing a net Rs 1,350.04 crore yesterday, according to provisional data from the stock exchanges.
A decisive mandate for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha polls also boosted the market sentiment.
The Sensex resumed higher at 24,555.31 and firmed up further to a high of 24,587.16 on initial strong buying. But, declined immediately to 24,353.03 before quoting at 24,513.88 at 1000hrs, still showing a gain of 150.83 points, or 0.62 per cent.
Major gainers were Hindalco (3.06 pct), SSLT (3.05 pct), Wipro (2.81 pct), Tata Steel (2.60 pct), Dr Reddy's Lab (2.31 pct), Infosys (2.31 pct), BHEL (2.21 pct), TCS (2.21 pct) and Bharti Airtel (2.13 pct).
Most Asian stocks edged higher in their early trade. Key benchmark indices in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Japan rose by 0.11 pct to 0.86 pct.