By IANS
Mumbai : Indian shares continued to trade firm for the second consecutive day Wednesday, buoyed by strong buying in banking, auto and capital goods stocks with a key index gaining 0.81 percent.
The 30-share Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) nudged close to the 14,500-mark in early trade to close at 14,411.95 levels, a gain of 116.44 points or 0.81 percent.
The broad-based 50-issue National Stock Exchange Nifty rose 34.35 points or 0.82 percent to close strong at 4,248.65.
Leading the major gainers was cement producer Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd, up 4.60 percent at Rs.118.205, followed by the country's largest lender State Bank of India, up 3.85 percent at Rs.1,425.20 and multi-utility vehicle maker Tata Motors, up 3.53 percent at Rs.686.90.
Other major stocks that traded in the green were top car maker Maruti Udyog, textile major Grasim Industries, housing finance firm HDFC, top heavy electrical equipment maker BHEL, engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro and top private sector telecom service provider Bharti Airtel.
Pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories led the major index losers of the day, down 1.91 percent at Rs.351.85.
Technology stocks continued to take a beating with top software exporter TCS losing 1.28 percent during the intra-day trading at Rs.1,145.80 followed by top thermal energy producer NTPC, down 0.05 percent at Rs.150.30.
Other major stocks that traded in the red were consumer goods maker Hindustan Lever, software exporter Infosys Technologies, top steel maker Tata Steel and private sector lender HDFC Bank.