Sensex up 149pts; auto stocks rally

The Sensex is now up 149 points at 15,017.

Hindustan Unilever has zoomed 3.8% to Rs 203.

Tata Motors has soared 3.3% to Rs 692. Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra have rallied 2.7% each to Rs 2,382 and Rs 689, respectively.

Ambuja Cements has surged 2.5% to Rs 130. Cipla, Grasim, HDFC and Maruti have advanced around 2% each to Rs 188, Rs 2,939, Rs 1,984 and Rs 825, respectively.

NTPC, Ranbaxy and Tata Steel are the other major gainers.

Out of 2,720 stocks traded so far, 1,949 have advanced, 719 have declined and 52 are unchanged.