Sensex up 296pts; Maruti, REL down 2%

The Sensex is now up 296 points at 18,062.

The NSE Nifty is up 95 points at 5,296.

Hindalco has zoomed 6% to Rs 174. Bajaj Auto has soared 4.5% to Rs 2,170.

Ranbaxy has rallied 4% to Rs 395, and Tata Steel has surged 3.5% to Rs 806.

Hindustan Unilever has advanced over 3% to Rs 210. Reliance has added 2.2% to Rs 2,569.

Tata Motors and BHEL have moved up nearly 2% each to Rs 747 and Rs 2,271, respectively.

ICICI Bank and NTPC have gained 1.7% each at Rs 1,182 and Rs 204, respectively.

Cipla, Mahindra & Mahindra and ONGC are up around 1.5% each at Rs 183, Rs 608 and Rs 1,040, respectively.

Reliance Energy (REL) and Maruti have slipped 2% each to Rs 1,673 and Rs 814, respectively.

Satyam and Grasim are down 1.3% each at Rs 433 and Rs 2,810, respectively.

Out of 2,734 stocks traded so far, 1,755 have advanced, 914 have declined and 65 are unchanged.