Equity indices close higher; durables, metals up

Key Indian equity indices on Thursday provisionally closed in the green as positive global cues, along with healthy buying in consumer durables, capital goods and metal stocks, kept investors' sentiments buoyed.

The wider Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose by 61.60 points or 0.59 per cent to provisionally close (at 3.30 p.m.) at 10,504.80 points.

The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 33,912.49 points, closed at 33,980.94 points -- up 187.56 points or 0.56 per cent -- from its previous session's close.

The Sensex has so far touched a high of 33,995.40 points and a low of 33,802.13 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was bullish with 1,915 advances and 1,007 declines.

Index heavyweights like Tata Steel, Dr Reddy's Lab, Asian Paints, Larsen and Toubro and Sun Pharma were the top gainers on the BSE.

On Wednesday, the key indices closed on a flat note after investors booked profit in automobile and oil and gas stocks.

The BSE Sensex closed at 33,793.38 points -- down a mere 18.88 points or 0.06 per cent -- while the NSE Nifty50 closed the day's trade at 10,443.20 points, inching up by only 1 point or 0.01 per cent.

--IANS

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