Sensex up 168pts; HDFC advances 2%

 Hindustan Unilever has rallied 2.8% to Rs 208, and HDFC has gained 2.4% at Rs 1,954.

Cipla has moved up 2% to Rs 216. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Reliance Communications have advanced 1.7% each to Rs 1,170, Rs 970 and Rs 549, respectively.

SBI, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel and Ranbaxy are the other major gainers.

TCS and Tata Motors are the notable losers.

Out of 2,437 stocks traded so far, 1,812 have advanced, 569 have declined and 56 are unchanged.