Sensex up 140pts; REL slips 1%

The Sensex is now up 140 points, at 14,804.

SBI, ICICI Bank and Larsen & Toubro have rallied 2.3% each to Rs 1,567, Rs 973 and Rs 2,285, respectively.

HDFC Bank has surged nearly 2% to Rs 1,167. Hindustan Unilever, Grasim, Reliance Communications and Cipla have advanced around 1.5% each to Rs 192, Rs 2,656, Rs 537 and Rs 213, respectively.

Maruti, ITC, Ranbaxy, Hindalco and Reliance are the other prominent gainers.

Reliance Energy (REL) has slipped 1% to Rs 618.