Late rally helps Sensex end 113 points up

Mumbai, March 11 : A late rally helped the benchmark index for Indian equities close Thursday 113 points higher than its previous close.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,087.63 points, closed at 17,211.56 points (provisional), 113.23 points or 0.66 percent higher than its previous close at 17,098.33 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S and P CNX Nifty shut shop at 5,148.2 points against the previous close of 5,116.25 points, a gain of 31.95 points or 0.62 percent.

Broader markets, however, closed on a subdued note with the BSE midcap index ending 0.05 percent lower and the BSE small cap index closing 0.44 percent down.

The market breadth was negative, with 1,083 stocks advancing, compared to 1,756 scrips on the decline, while 72 remained unchanged.

Most other Asian markets ended trade on a mixed note.

The benchmark Japanese index, Nikkei, ended 0.96 percent higher at 10,664.95 points, while the South Korean Kospi closed 0.34 percent down at 1,656.62 points.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng shut shop flat at 21,228.2 points. The Chinese Shanghai composite index closed at 3,051.28 points, down 0.08 percent.