Sensex soars 218pts; SBI leads

The Sensex opened with a bang at 13,729, up 98 points. The index touched a high of 13,852, and is now up 218 points at 13,849.

SBI and HDFC Bank have rallied over 3% each to Rs 1,186 and Rs 1,030, respectively.

ICICI Bank and TCS have flared up 2.5% each to Rs 918 and Rs 1,310, respectively.

Satyam and Reliance Communications have gained 2% each at Rs 490 and Rs 435, respectively.

Infosys, BHEL, Tata Motors and Hindalco are the other major gainers.