Markets extend gains, Sensex up 201pts

The markets extended their gains into the noon session, with the Sensex quoting near the day's high of 18,246 up 201 points; the BSE benchmark scaled an intraday high of 18,255, up 210 points from the previous close. Meanwhile, the Nifty, at 5,471, moved up 59 points.

Top gainers on the Sensex were Reliance Communications at Rs 84, followed by Hindalco at Rs 195, Reliance Infra at Rs 557 and ICICI Bank at Rs 1,062, all up 4% each.

Tata Motors slipped further, and the stock was trading lower by 7% at Rs 1,085. Hindustan Unilever at Rs 302, Hero Honda at Rs 1,852 and Maruti Suzuki at Rs 1,206 fell 1% each.

The broader markets moved in tandem with the benchmark. THe Mid-cap index was up 1% at 6,699, while the Small-cap index advanced 0.7% at 8,091.

AMongst the sectoral indices, the Bankex surged 2% to 12,168, followed by the Realty index at 2,054 and the Oil & Gas counter, also up 2% each.

The Auto index slipped more than 1% to 8,946, while the Consumer Durables index shed 0.8% at 6,331.

Of the 2,627 stocks traded on the BSE so far, 1,553 advanced, while 958 declined, indicating a positive market breadth.