Markets gain in morning trades

Markets opened on a flat note today but have managed to gain thereafter. The Sensex is up 69 points at 17,825. Earlier, it touched a high of 17,834.

Nifty is at 5,343 - up 20 points.

The BSE IT index is down 0.5% at 5,378. Bankex is also down marginally at 11,049.

Larsen & Toubro and Sterlite have jumped 1.7% each to Rs 1,796 and Rs 179, respectively. ITC has added 1.2% to Rs 307.

ONGC and Tata Steel have advanced 1% each to Rs 1,207 and Rs 504, respectively. Hindustan Unilever, HDFC and Mahindra & Mahindra have advanced nearly 1% each.

On the other hand, TCS has extended losses and is down 1% at Rs 780. Infosys is trading soft at Rs 2,786.

Reliance Communications, ICICI Bank and Tata Power are down 0.5% each.

BSE market breadth is positive. Out of 2,318 stocks traded, 1,696 have advanced while 550 have declined.