Markets ended higher on Thursday, amid firm global cues, led by index heavyweights Infosys and ITC. The failure of former UPA ally the Trinamool Congress to bring a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha today over FDI in retail also helped improve sentiment.
The 30-share Sensex provisionally ended up 48 points at 18,509 and the 50-share Nifty ended up 11 points at 5,625.
_________________________________________________
(Updated at 14:30hrs)
Benchmark indices continued to maintain the upbeat trend amid volatility in late trades on Thursday led by software major Infosys and engineering major L&T. Gains in FMCG and select bank shares also lent support to the market.
Winter Session of Parliament today got off to a stormy start with key UPA supporters SP and BSP triggering uproar in both Houses leading to adjournment of proceedings till noon.
By 1430, Sensex surged by 95 points at 18,555, and the Nifty was up 22 points or 0.45% at 5,640 levels.
On the global front, in China data showed a good expansion in the manufacturing sector. Shanghai Composite however is down 0.7% at 2016. Hang Seng and Nikkei, on the other hand, have jumped 1-2% each boosted by gains in automakers and electronics companies on expectations that a sharply weaker yen will boost their earnings.
Back home, BSE Capital Goods, IT, TECk, PSU, Banks, Realty and Healthcare indices have surged by 1% each. However, BSE Consumer Durable index has declined by nearly 1%.
In the Sensex pack software exporters Infosys was up over 1.5% while Wipro was up 1% on the back of a weakening rupee. Engineering major L&T was up 1.9% after the company said it has received fresh orders worth Rs 2,503 crore.
Among FMCG shares, ITC was up nearly 1% while Hindustan Unilever was marginally up. In the banking segment, SBI was up 2% while HDFC Bank gained nearly 1%.
Other Sensex gainers include Tata Steel, Sterlite, M&M and NTPC, all surging between 1-2% each.
Among other shares, shares of Logistics service provider Blue Dart Express today jumped by over 18% after its promoter announced plans to dilute 6.03% stake that is expected to fetch Rs 245 crore.
The BSE mid-cap and small-cap indices rose between 0.4-0.5% each.
The overall breadth in BSE is positive as 1,393 stocks have advanced while 1,272 stocks declined.
