Sensex hits 3-year high on China growth recovery

Markets extended gains in the late-morning session this Friday on back of improved risk appetite after China, world's second-biggest economy showed growth recovery.

At 11:25AM, the 30-share Sensex rose 327.93 points to trade at 20,741 and the 50-share Nifty was up 98 points at 6,144 levels.  Sensex is trading at its highest levels since Nov, 2010.

China’s gross domestic product expanded 7.8 percent last quarter, official data showed today, halting a two-quarter slowdown.

The broader markets traded firm with mid-caps and small-caps rising nearly 1 per cent on the BSE.

The market breadth was positive. Out of 2,086 stocks traded, 1,233 stocks advanced while 722 stocks declined on the BSE.

RUPEE

The rupee continued to trade firm in the morning session on the back of positive sentiments in the market and dollar sale by banks.

At 11:25AM, the partially convertible rupee was trading at 60.99 per dollar against the yesterday’s close of 61.22 on the Interbank Foreign Exchange.

However, currency dealers fear that approaching month-end dollar demand may put some pressure on the rupee.


GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian stocks rose, pushing the benchmark index to a five-month high, and emerging-market currencies gained with copper after China’s economic growth quickened. U.S. equity-index futures climbed as Google Inc. sales topped estimates.

China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.6% to 2,201, Singapore’s Straits Times rose 0.3% to 3,196, Japan’s Nikkei was tad down 0.04% to 14,580, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1% to 23,343.

STOCK MOVERS

Domestically, all the key sectoral gained with banks, realty, metal, auto, oil and gas topping the charts on the BSE.

The laggards were Bajaj Auto shedding 0.1% and TCS declined 0.3% on the BSE.  

The gainers were Tata Steel adding 4%, Sesa Sterlite rose 4.1%, ICICI Bank and SBI were up2.8-3% while HDFC was up 2% on the BSE.