By IANS,
Mumbai: Helped by late buying and rebounding European markets, a key index for Indian equities Wednesday ended 166 points higher, after languishing in listless trade for most parts of the day.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,476.85 points, closed at 17,700.9 points, 166.81 points or 0.95 percent up from its previous close at 17,534.09 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 5,312.5 points, up 1.07 percent from its previous close at 5,256.15 points.
Broader markets indices closed with modest gains with the BSE midcap index ending 0.46 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index 0.44 percent up.
FMCG, oil and gas, auto and realty scrips saw most of the buying, with most of the 13 sectoral indices ending in the green.
The market breadth was tilted towards the positive, with 1,598 scrips on the advance, compared to 1,266 stocks declining, and 115 remaining unchanged.
Among the gainers on the Sensex were ITC, up 2.63 percent at Rs.304.75, Maruti Suzuki, up 2.49 percent at Rs.1,423.60, Reliance Communications, up 2.35 percent at Rs.198.30, and Reliance Industries, up 1.84 percent at Rs.1,086.90.
Prominent losers included Wipro, down 1.23 percent at Rs.384.75; Bharti Airtel, down 1.02 percent at Rs.263.25; Cipla, down 0.81 percent at Rs.337.75; and TCS, down 0.41 percent at Rs.751.15.
According to data available with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors sold scrips worth $37.88 million Wednesday.
Asian markets were in the red, tracking the selling spree in US markets Tuesday over the fall of a key consumer confidence indicator in June.
The Japanese Nikkei ended at a seven-month low, at 9,382.64 points, 1.96 percent lower than its previous close.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 0.59 percent down at 20,128.99 points, while the Chinese Shanghai composite index was in the negative at 2,398.37 points, 1.18 percent lower.
The South Korean Kospi closed lower at 1,698.29 points, 0.55 percent down.
European markets rose in mid-day trade after the European Central Bank said its loans to banks stood at Euro 131.9 billion, lower than what was expected. The news gave strength to hopes that the Euro zone banks were in adquate financial health.
In Britain, the benchmark index FTSE 100 was ruling 0.64 percent up at 4,945.77 points, while the French CAC 40 was trading 0.72 percent higher at 3,457.79 points.
The German DAX was up 0.62 percent at 5,989.11 points.