By IANS,
Mumbai: A benchmark index for Indian equities ended with modest gains Tuesday, 40 points higher, with healthcare stocks seeing the bulk of the buying interest.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,422.51 points, closed at 17,451.02 points, 40.45 points or 0.23 percent higher than its previous close at 17,410.57 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,225.3 points against the previous close at 5,205.2 points, a gain of 0.39 percent or 20.1 points.
Broader market indices also closed dull, with the BSE midcap index ending 0.21 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index closing 0.3 percent up.
Realty, auto, and PSU scrips came under selling pressure, while healthcare, energy and power stocks saw buying interest.
The market breadth was negative, with 1,266 stocks advancing, compared to 1,504 on the decline, while 109 remained unchanged.
Among the gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were HDFC Bank, up 2.52 percent at Rs.1,884.75; Tata Power, up 1.45 percent at Rs.1,354.60; RIL, up 1.43 percent at Rs.1,089.25; and Tata Steel, up 1.2 percent at Rs.637.30.
Top losers included Bharti Airtel, down 3 percent at Rs.306.80; Tata Motors, down 2.76 percent at Rs.739.05; DLF, down 2.06 percent at Rs.295.20; and Grasim Industries, down 1.37 percent at Rs.2,849.55.
Most other Asian markets were mixed.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed at 20,987.78 points, up 0.26 percent, while the Chinese Shanghai composite index ended 0.7 percent lower at 3,053.12 points.
The South Korean Kospi closed 0.55 percent higher at 1,681.82 points, while the Japanese Nikkei shut shop 0.47 percent down at 10,774.15 points.
European markets, were, however in the green.
The FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was ruling at 5,682.69 points, up 0.68 percent, while its German peer, DAX, was trading 0.38 percent higher at 6,010.18 points.
The French CAC 40 index was in the green, up 0.59 percent at 3,951.35 points.