By IANS,
Mumbai : A benchmark index of Indian equities Monday moved up marginally after trading in a tight range all day to close 89 points higher than its previous close as foreign funds continued to pour in substantial amounts.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,250.26 points, closed at 20,339.89 points, up 89.63 points or 0.44 percent from its previous close at 20,250.26 points.
It had shot up about 200 points in early trade to 20,461.27 points.
According to data available with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors bought scrips worth $181.95 million Monday. For the month, FII fund inflows have topped the $3 billion-mark.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 6,135.85 points, up 0.53 percent.
Broader markets did relatively better. The BSE midcap closed 0.79 percent up and the BSE smallcap ended index 1.3 percent higher.
Auto, metal, energy and consumer durables stocks saw buying while telecom IT and stocks ended dull.
The market breadth was positive with 1,856 stocks advancing, 1,069 declining and 153 remaining unchanged.
Top Sensex gainers were Tata Motors, up 4.05 percent at Rs.1.149.70; Sterlite Industries, up 3.13 percent at Rs.179.35; Reliance Com, up 2.08 percent at Rs.184.15 and Reliance Infra, up 2.06 percent at Rs.1,096.05.
Among the losers were Bharti Airtel, down 2.48 percent at Rs.342.65; Hindustan Unilever, down 0.83 percent at Rs.293.40; HDFC Bank, down 0.73 percent at Rs.2,385.90, and NTPC, down 0.61 percent at Rs.213.
Other Asian markets moved up with handsome gains on optimism that the US Federal Reserve would step in to support a faltering economic recovery in the world’s largest economy.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shut shop 1.15 percent higher at 23,207.31 points, while the Shanghai Composite index closed 2.49 percent up at 2,806.94 points.
The Japanese markets were closed.
European market indices nudged up on hopes of an intervention by the Federal Reserve to bring down interest rates.
Around mid-day, Britain’s FTSE 100 was trading at 5,673.49 points, up 0.28 percent.
The German DAX was ruling 0.22 percent higher at 6,305.54 points and the French CAC 40 was trading at 3,769.64 points, up 0.17 percent from its previous close.