By IANS,
Mumbai: A late buying spree by traders to cover short positions Thursday helped a benchmark index of Indian equities end trade above the 20,000 mark, 112 points higher than its previous close.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), opened at 19,931.49 points, closed at 20,069.12 points, up 112.78 points or 0.57 percent from its previous close at 19,956.34 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the 50-share S&P CNX Nifty ended at 6,029.95 points, 0.65 percent higher.
Broader markets closed dull. The BSE midcap was 0.24 percent down, while the BSE smallcap index ended flat.
The market breadth was negative with 1,309 scrips advancing, compared to 1,644 stocks declining and 120 remaining unchanged.
Energy, consumer durables, PSU and auto stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. FMCG and metal scrips saw buying interest.
The major gainers on the Sensex were HDFC, up 3.29 percent at Rs.730; Sterlite Industries, up 3.28 percent at Rs.166.80; Hindalco Industries, up 2.61 percent at Rs.196.75 and ITC, up 2.53 percent at Rs.178.05.
Among the losers were ACC, down 1.49 percent at Rs.990.75; ONGC, down 1.48 percent at Rs.1,401.55; Reliance Infra, down 1.28 percent at Rs.1,069.70 and RIL, down 1.27 percent at Rs.986.35.
Other Asian markets were trading in the red over worries of the European debt and street protests in Euro zone countries over austerity measures put in place by their governments.
The Japan’s Nikkei closed 1.99 percent lower at 9,369.35 points.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended flat at 22,358.17 points. However, the Chinese Shanghai Composite index closed with a gain of 1.72 percent higher at 2,655.66 points.
The European bourses were trading lower following concerns over fiscal conditions in some of the peripheral economies in the Euro Zone.
At closing bell here, the FTSE 100 was trading at 5,560.63 points, down 0.16 percent almost unchanged from its previous close.
The German DAX was ruling 0.21 percent lower at 6,233.70 points and the French CAC 40 was trading 0.86 percent down at 3,704.94 points.