Sensex up 140pts at 9690

The Sensex touched a high of 9714, and is now up 140 points at 9,690.

Larsen & Toubro has rallied 5% to Rs 2,040.

ICICI Bank has surged 4.7% to Rs 598. Dr.Reddy's has added 4.4% to Rs 1,089.

HDFC has advanced 4% to Rs 1,280.

HLL and ONGC have gained 3.5% each at Rs 195 and Rs 1,290, respectively.

Bajaj Auto has jumped 3.3% to Rs 2,142.

Hero Honda, Wipro, BHEL, Tata Motors, Bharti Tele, ITC, ACC, Ranbaxy and Cipla are the other significant gainers.

SBI has slipped over 2% to Rs 883.

Out of 2,583 stocks traded so far 1,022 have advanced, 1,495 have declined and the rest are unchanged.