Helped by Reliance, Sensex ends 218 points up

Mumbai, March 16 : A benchmark index for Indian equities Friday closed over 218 points up with index heavyweight Reliance Industries contributing to most of the gains.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,169.84 points, shut shop at 17,383.18 points, up 218.19 points or 1.27 percent from its previous close at 17,396.9 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S and P CNX Nifty closed at 5,198.1 points, up 1.35 percent against the previous close at 5,128.9 points.

Broader markets too saw buying interest as the BSE midcap index ended 1.08 percent higher and the BSE small cap index closed 1.28 percent up.

The market breadth was positive, with 1,818 stocks advancing, compared to 1,026 scrips on the decline, while 76 remained unchanged.

Among sectors that saw majority of the buying were energy, metal, and capital goods.

Among the gainers on the 30-scrip Sensex were Reliance Industries, up 3.8 percent at Rs.1,066.80; Tata Steel, up 2.82 percent at Rs.627.15; Larsen and Toubro, up 2.8 percent at Rs.1,597.80; and M and M, up 2.66 percent at Rs.1,134.70.

Top losers included Bharti Airtel, down 1.6 percent at Rs.294.75; ACC, down 1.26 percent at Rs.969.60; HDFC Bank, down 0.36 percent at Rs.1,804.75; and Jaiprakash Associates, down 0.27 percent at Rs.148.20.

Most other Asian markets ended trade dull.

The benchmark Japanese index, Nikkei, ended 0.23 percent lower at 10,721.71 points, while the South Korean Kospi closed 0.09 percent down at 1,648.01 points.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng shut shop at 21,022.93 points, down 0.27 percent, while the Chinese Shanghai composite index closed at 2,922.84 points, up 0.53 percent.

European markets were trading on a positive note around closing bell here.

The FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was ruling at 5,616.83 points, up 0.41 percent, while its German peer, DAX, was trading 0.75 percent higher at 5,947.7 points.

The French CAC 40 index was also in the green at 3,924.01, up 0.85 percent.