Sensex, Nifty end higher; HUL, Coal India down

The market on Thursday ended in green as the Sensex traded up 118.07 points or 0.4 percent at 28123.44.

On the other hand, Nifty traded up 49.20 points or 0.6 percent at 8673.25.

Shares such as NTPC, Adani Ports, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and BHEL were top gainers while Coal India, Tata Steel, GAIL and HUL were losers in the Sensex.

India Cements today posted a 16.34 percent jump in standalone net profit to Rs. 43.98 crore in the quarter ended on June 30. The company's net profit during the same quarter a year ago stood at Rs. 37.8 crore, it said in a regulatory filing.

However, total income from operations decreased from Rs. 1,225.7 crore in the year-ago period to Rs. 1205.72 crore in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal, it said.

The financial results were approved by the company's Board of Directors in a meeting held today.

Tracking a firm trend overseas, gold prices rose by 0.40 percent to Rs. 31,492 per 10 grams in futures market today as traders indulged in built up fresh positions.

Analysts attributed the rise in gold futures to a firm trend overseas where gold climbed as the dollar retreated after minutes from July's Federal Reserve meeting signaled that US interest rates are poised to stay lower for longer.