Sensex up 180pts; breadth firm

The Sensex is now up 180 points at 15,767.

The NSE Nifty is up 32 points at 4,742.

BHEL has surged 4% to Rs 1,780. HDFC has soared 3.7% to Rs 2,395.

HDFC Bank and Tata Steel have rallied 3.5% each to Rs 1,350 and Rs 678, respectively.

ICICI Bank has gained 2.5% at Rs 833. Cipla and Larsen & Toubro have moved up 2% each to Rs 217 and Rs 2,630, respectively.

Hindustan Unilever and Maruti have slipped 1.5% each to Rs 244 and Rs 733, respectively.

DLF, Satyam, Bharti Airtel and Jaiprakash Associates are down over 1% each to Rs 609, Rs 424, Rs 819 and Rs 219, respectively.

Out of 2,648 stocks traded so far, 1,780 have advanced, 806 have declined and the rest are unchanged.