The Sensex is now up 163 points at 8,324. Earlier in the day, the index opened 115 points higher at 8,275, and soon touched a high of 8,376.
ICICI Bank has soared nearly 6% to Rs 278.
Hindustan Unilever and Sterlite have surged nearly 5% each to Rs 227 and Rs 256, respectively.
Maruti has rallied nearly 4% to Rs 676. ITC and Reliance have gained 3.5% each at Rs 164 and Rs 1,195, respectively.
HDFC and Infosys have moved up over 3% each to Rs 1,295 and Rs 1,236, respectively.
BHEL and Tata Motors have advancd nearly 3% each to Rs 1,337 and Rs 140, respectively.
Tata Steel, Jaiprakash Associates and Wipro have gained around 2.5% each at Rs 156, Rs 68 and Rs 211, respectively.
Bharti Airtel has plunged 4.5% to Rs 562. Tata Power has slipped 1.5% to Rs 613.
The market breadth is marginally positive - out of 2,094 stocks traded so far, 1,096 have advanced, 898 have declined and the rest are unchanged.
