Yuan, ULIPs see Sensex rise 306 pts to two-month high

Stock market benchmark Sensex today rallied 306 points to settle at its highest level in more than two months, buoyed by the end of the regulatory dispute over ULIPs and China's move to make the yuan more flexible.

 

The 30-share barometer of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which fell marginally on Friday following a seven-day winning streak, recovered smartly on aggressive purchasing in metal and financial stocks to finish at 17,876.55, up 305.73 points, or 1.74 per cent.

This is the best closing of the Sensex since April 9. The bellwether opened on a strong note, tracking firm global cues, and never looked back. During the session, the Sensex breached the 17,900 level, but ended slightly below that mark.

Likewise, the Nifty Index of the National Stock Exchange ended 1.72 per cent higher at 5,353.30 points.

China's announcement that it would let its currency gain against the US dollar triggered a rally in markets across the globe. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained over 3 per cent and was the best performer. China's Shanghai index surged by 2.90 per cent and Japan's Nikkei jumped 2.43 per cent. At mid-session, European markets were also higher.

"Market confidence across the world was boosted following China's announcement to make the yuan more flexible," Delhi-based brokerage Bonanza Portfolio's Assistant Vice-President (Research-Equity) Avinash Gupta said.

"Sentiment on the Dalal Street was also up as uncertainty over the regulation of ULIPs is now over. More money is likely to come into the market in coming days," Gupta added, but cautioned that "coming days may be volatile as derivative settlement is due this week."

Metal stocks were shining on Dalal Street today, with Sterlite Industries, the biggest copper and zinc producer, gaining the most in a year after the face value of its shares was split from Rs 2 to Re 1, making them cheaper to trade. The stock zoomed 8.2 per cent to Rs 183.70 and was the biggest gainer on the Sensex.

Tata Steel also climbed by 6.30 per cent, while Hindalco rose by 5.61 per cent and Jindal Steel by 2.34 per cent.

Brokers said that metal, realty and finance stocks gained as investors feel that strong economic improvement will boost demand for these sectors.

ICICI Bank zoomed 3.89 per cent, HDFC 2 per cent and SBI 0.60 per cent. DLF was 2.76 per cent up and L&T 2.12 per cent.

All the sectoral indices on the BSE ended in the green, with metal, realty and bankex leading the gain.

Reliance Industries, which carries the highest weight on Sensex, ended 0.95 per cent higher at Rs 1,065.25.

Out of the BSE-30 stocks, 28 settled with gains, while Bharti Airtel and HDFC Bank ended in the red.