Markets close marginally higher

Broader markets outperform with mid and smallcap indices up 0.6% each

Markets closed marginally higher amid choppy trades with the Sensex up 17 points at 21,756 and the Nifty gained 10 points to close at 6,492 (provisional).Continuous buying from foreign institutions supported the gains.
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(Updated at 1531 hrs)
Benchmark indices were flat in noon trades as the losses in oil& gas heavyweights were capped by the gains in index heavyweights.

At 1425 hrs, the Sensex was up 16 points at 21,755 and the Nifty slipped below the 6,500 levels to trade at 6,493, up 10 points.

In the broader markets, the mid and smallcap indices advanced 0.6% each, outperforming the BSE benchmark index which was up marginally by 0.06%.

Barring Oil & Gas index which was down 1.2%, all the other sectoral indices were in green.

Metal and Realty indices up 2% each were the sectoral gainers along with Bankex, Power, Consumer Durables and IT indices adding 0.7-1%.

Metal names like Tata Steel, Sesa Sterlite and Hindalco up 2-4% were the top gainers among Sensex-30.

Wipro, Axis Bank, Tata Motors, Gail India, BHEL, Tata Power, SBI and Coal India up 1-3% were the other notable gainers.

Among the ones in the red were Reliance Industries and ONGC down 1.5% each and were the top losers among the 30 Sensex scrips.

Hero MotoCorp, Sun Pharma, NTPC, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC and Bharti Airtel down 0.5-1.6% were some of the other notable scrip in red.

The market breadth was positive on the BSE. 1452 stocks advanced while 1237 stocks declined.

Global Markets

Asian markets found their footing on Friday after Wall Street shook off concerns about Federal Reserve policy, while a spike in U.S. bond yields kept the dollar underpinned near three-week highs.

After falling sharply on Thursday, regional stocks battled to regain some of the losses. The Australian market edged up 0.7 percent while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.5 percent.

Hong Kong and China stocks also rebounded, despite growing concerns about fallout from China's economic slowdown and a further slide in the yuan to 13-month lows.

Japan's Nikkei was not able to share the relief because markets were closed for a holiday.