By IANS,
Mumbai : Expectations of an improved earning season for India Inc pushed a key index of Indian equities markets Wednesday above the 17,000-mark for the first time in 16 months.
The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,868.46 points, ended at 17,126.84 points, up 273.93 points or 1.63 percent from Tuesday’s closing figure of 16,852.91 points.
The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too closed in the positive terrain at 5,083.95 points, up 1.54 percent.
Broader market indices also ended in the green, with the BSE midcap index closing 0.95 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 0.94 percent.
Banking, auto and capital goods stocks found favour among buyers, while FMCG and consumer durable scrips came under some selling pressure.
The market breadth was positive with 1,598 stocks advancing, 1,183 declining and 77 remaining unchanged.
Among the gainers on the Sensex were SBI, up 5.01 percent at Rs.2,195.70; ICICI Bank, up 4.63 percent at Rs.904.80; Maruti Suzuki, up 3.7 percent at Rs.1,698.90; and M&M, up 3.46 percent at Rs.881.20.
Among the losers were ONGC, down 1.25 percent at Rs.1,171.30; ITC, down 1.07 percent at Rs.231.90; Grasim Industries, down 0.73 percent at Rs.2,768.35; and Bharti Airtel, down 0.07 percent at Rs.418.55.
Asian markets were a mixed bag.
The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 33.03 points or 0.33 percent higher at 10,133.23 points.
The primary index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Hang Seng, was down 57.92 points or 0.28 percent at 20,955.25 points.
The Kospi, benchmark index of the Korean Stock Exchange, was ruling in the negative, moving down 16.91 points or 1 percent at 1,673.14 points.
However, at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the benchmark SSE Composite ended 0.9 percent down at 2,779.43 points.
Trading at key European markets was quiet.
In Britain, the FTSE 100 index was ruling 7.32 points or 0.14 percent higher at 5,167.04 points, while its French peer, the CAC 40, was up 0.48 percent at 3,832.46 points.
Germany’s DAX was ruling flat at 5,726.89 points, up 13.37 points or 0.23 percent.