Sensex steady

The market has steadied towards the closing hours, after a sharp rally in early noon trades saw the index surge past the 6,600 mark on strong buying in old economy counters. The Sensex is now up 52 points at 6,597, while the Nifty has gained 16 points to 2,071.

SBI is trading firm with a gain of 2.50% (Rs 16) at Rs 651. While HDFC Bank has flared up 2.94% (Rs 17) to Rs 587, ICICI Bank is up a per cent (Rs 3) at Rs 366.

HPCL has soared 4.13% (Rs 15) to Rs 371. While BHEL has gained 2% (Rs 16) to Rs 799, L&T has surged 3% (Rs 30) to Rs 998. ONGC is up a per cent (Rs 5) at Rs 825. Zee has gained nearly 2% to Rs 154.

Reliance is up Rs 3 at Rs 536. While ITC is up a per cent (Rs 8) at Rs 1,329, HLL is up a rupee at Rs 161.

Infosys (up Rs 9 to Rs 2,050) and Satyam (up Rs 4 to Rs 406) are trading with steady gains. Wipro, however, is trading a tad lower at Rs 691.

ACC is up 1.20% (Rs 4) at Rs 374. Grasim and Gujarat Ambuja are also up a per cent each at Rs 1,350 and Rs 456, respectively.

Bharti (down Rs 5 or 2.35% to Rs 210), however, continues to languish in negative territory.