Sensex ends up 97pts

The Sensex has ended (provisional) at 17,562 - up 97 points.

The Nifty ended (provisional) at 5,236 - up 35 points.
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(Updated at 1424 hrs)

Markets continued to trade firm in late noon on the first trading day of 2010 on strong manufacturing and sales data. Asian markets also helped to buoy indices.

Japan government's decision to help the Japan Airlines boosted the Nikkei 1% in trades today.

The Sensex is now up 100 points at 17,565. Earlier in the day the index touched a high of 17,570.

The BSE mid and small-caps have continued to outperform the Sensex. The mid-cap index has added 1.3% while the small-caps have moved up 1.6% in trades.

The auto, metal and consumer durables indices are up 1-2% each. However, the oil & gas index remains subdued in the red.

Mahindra & Mahindra has surged 4.6% to Rs 1,131. Tata Motors has rallied 4% to Rs 825.

Jaiprakash Associates has gained 4% at Rs 153.

ACC, Tata Steel, Grasim, Wipro and Sterlite have moved up 1-2% each. Other gainers include Hindalco, Reliance Infrastructure and SBI.

However, NTPC has dropped 1.7% to Rs 232. Reliance has slipped 1.3% to Rs 1,074.

The market breadth is positive. Out of 2,913 stocks traded 2,125 have advanced while 727 have declined.