'Sensex gives 2nd highest returns to investors in Asia'

Indian stock markets have given the second highest returns between 2003-04 and April-December of 2011-12 among the prominent Asian bourses over the past eight years, according to the Economic Survey.

An analysis of major Asian countries' stock indices show that the 30-share Sensex gave the second maximum cumulative returns, while the highest return was given by Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index, the Economic Survey 2011-12 said.

"Among selected Asian Indices, the Jakarta Composite Index posted a maximum cumulative return of 419.5% in 2011-12 (April-December) over 2003-04 followed by the BSE Sensex Index (176.4%), S&P CNX Nifty Index (161.0%)," it said.

Other indices compared are Japan's Kospi, Indonesia's Kuala Lumpur Comp, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Taiwan's TSEC.

During the same period, the returns of other indices were "Kospi Index (107.4%), Kuala Lumpur Comp Index (69.7%), Hang Seng Index (45.4%), SSE Composite Index (26.3%), and TSEC weighted Index (8.4%)," the report said.