Sensex crosses 9700-mark, soars 154pts

The Sensex has crosses the 9700-mark and touched a high of 9705. The index is now up 154 points at 9,704.

Dr.Reddy's has surged nearly 5% to Rs 1,093.

ICICI Bank has advanced 4.3% to Rs 596. Larsen & Toubro has gained 4% at Rs 2,022.

Bajaj Auto has added 3.5% to Rs 2,146. HLL has moved up 3.2% to Rs 194.

HDFC, ONGC, Tata Motors, BHEL and Hero Honda have gained 2-3% each.

Out of 2,572 stocks traded so far 1,085 have advanced, 1,422 have declined and the rest are unchanged.