Sensex up 690pts; NTPC, Reliance gain 7%

The Sensex is now up 690 points at 17,420.

The NSE Nifty is up 223 points at 5,122.

NTPC and BHEL have zoomed over 7.5% each to Rs 212 and Rs 2,134, respectively.

Reliance has soared 7% to Rs 2,523. Reliance Energy, Reliance Communications and HDFC have surged around 6.5% each to Rs 1,830, Rs 613 and Rs 2,640, respectively.

DLF and TCS have rallied 5.3% each to Rs 914 and Rs 842, respectively.

SBI and Bajaj Auto have advanced over 5% each to Rs 2,270 and Rs 2,165, respectively.

Ranbaxy and Hindalco have gained 4.5% each at Rs 356 and Rs 157, respectively.

Wipro has slipped over 2% to Rs 420, and Bharti Airtel has dropped 1.5% to Rs 836.

The market breadth is negative - out of 2,379 stocks traded, 1,331 have declined, 1,016 have advanced and 32 are unchanged.