Sensex down seven points; SBI rises 3%

The Sensex is marginally down by seven points at 9641.

SBI has surged nearly 3% to Rs 945.

Grasim, Maruti, Bajaj Auto and Hero Honda continues to hold gains.

Satyam down 2%, and Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Wipro TCS continue to languish in red.

Out of 2,552 stocks traded so far, 1,120 stocks have advanced, 1,386 have declined and the rest are unchanged.

Mastek and Hindustan Zinc continue to rule firm with significant gains of 10% and 9.6%, respectively. Andhra Bank, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Union Bank, FDC, Vijaya Bank, Escorts, Bongaigaon Refinery and J&K Bank have rallied 5-8% each.

Titan has tumbled over 4% to Rs 812 followed by Merck at Rs 552, down 3.8%. VisualSoft, Tamilnadu Newsprint, Balaji Tele, HCL Infosys, Aventis Pharma, Finolex, Bombay Dyeing, GTL, Ashok Leyland, Century Enka, SAIL and Dabur are down 1-3% each.