By IANS
Mumbai : Indian shares Thursday traded cautiously after breaching the 16,000 mark Wednesday, with a key index rising marginally up 0.15 percent. The Indian rupee appreciated sharply by 30 paise on heavy capital inflow triggered by the interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.
The rupee breached the 40-level mark Thursday to more than a nine-year high of 39.09/91 against the dollar. In active trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market, the rupee opened sharp, higher at 40.03/05 per dollar from Wednesday’s close of 40.20/21.
The Bombay Stock Exchange sensitive index (Sensex) rose 25.20 points or 0.15 percent higher to close at 16,347.95 after a day of range-bound trading, moving in the range of 16,261-16,415 with ten of its components trading in the red.
The broader 50-issue National Stock Exchange of India index (Nifty) also rose marginally by 15.20 points or 0.32 percent to close at 4,747.55 after touching its year high of 4,760.
Leading the Sensex gainers were private sector energy producer Reliance Energy, up 4.40 percent at Rs.987.70, followed by multi-utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra, up 3.93 percent at Rs.770.10 and hospitality and tobacco major ITC, up 3.77 percent at Rs.193.90.
Top construction and engineering firm Larsen & Toubro, top aluminium producer Hindalco Industries, textile major Grasim Industries, top multi-utility vehicle maker Tata Motors and India’s most valuable company Reliance Industries were the other key gainers of the day.
Techno stocks, however, took a beating in intra-day trade, with second largest software exporter Wipro leading the major losers, down 3.27 percent at Rs.433.50. Infosys Technologies followed, down 2.89 percent at Rs.1,799.75 and top software exporter Tata Consultancy Services, down 2.12 percent at Rs.1,000.80.
Fourth largest software exporter Satyam Computers, top carmaker Maruti Udyog Ltd, cement major Associated Cement Companies, top fast moving consumer goods producer Hindustan Unilever, drug major Ranbaxy Laboratories, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and cement major Ambuja Cement were the other stocks that traded in the red.