Sensex opens strong, up 83 pts

The Sensex opened with a bang and added 35 points over its yesterday's close at 6,138. Sharp upsurge in old and new economy stocks lifted the index above the 6,200-mark to an early high of 6,205. It is now up 83 points at 6,186. The Nifty has advanced 27 points to 1,941.

Reliance is up a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 523. While ITC is up Rs 2 at Rs 1,271, HLL is down a rupee at Rs 138.

Infosys, after registering sharp losses yesterday, has commenced firm with a gain of 2.38% (Rs 45) at Rs 1,949. While Satyam has gained nearly 2% (Rs 7) to Rs 363, Wipro is up 1.70% (Rs 11) at Rs 668.

SBI has logged 1.56% gains (Rs 10) to Rs 582, and ICICI Bank is up 1.45% (Rs 5) at Rs 350.

While ONGC is up a per cent (Rs 8) at Rs 785, ACC is up nearly 2% (Rs 7) at Rs 340.

Ranbaxy has advanced 1.56% (Rs 17) to Rs 1,085. Dr. Reddy's has added 2.22% (Rs 16) to Rs 749, and Cipla is up 2.55% (Rs 6) at Rs 259.

Auto and cement stocks also have firmed up in early trades.