By IANS,
Mumbai : Indian equities markets gave up some of the gains from the morning session a little before Friday noon, with a key index which had risen more than 181 points soon after the opening bell falling to rule at only 70 points up.
Around 11.55 a.m., the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, which opened higher at 14,373.57 points, was ruling at 14,416.52 points, 70.9 points or 0.49 percent above Thursday’s closing figure.
Around the same time, the S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too was ruling in the green, 0.54 percent up at 4,264.55 points.
Companies with lower market capitalisation were doing a tad better, with the BSE midcap index trading 1 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 0.97 percent.
Of the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE, those for capital goods, realty and banking scrips were ruling in the green. The index for healthcare stocks was the sole loser.
The market breadth was positive with 1,413 stocks advancing compared to 793 declining. Eighty-one remained unchanged.
Among gainers on the Sensex at this time were L&T, up 3.36 percent at Rs.1,579; ICICI Bank, up 3.13 percent at Rs.720.55; Sterlite, up 2.64 percent at Rs.592; and DLF, up 1.94 percent at Rs.323.95.
Among the losers on the Sensex at this time were Sun Pharma, down 11.83 percent at Rs.1,144.80; Tata Steel, down 3.4 percent at Rs.384.40; Ranbaxy, down 2.38 percent at Rs.260.50; and M&M, down 1.37 percent at Rs.693.
In Asian markets, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, a key index of the Tokyo stock exchange, gained 81.316 points on hopes that the recession in the US economy was easing and rising shares of blue chip company Nippon Oil Corp. It ended Friday’s trade at 9,877.39 points.
The Hang Seng, a primary index of the Hong Kong stock exchange, was ruling at 18,487.65 points, up 212.62 points.