Sensex closes at record high; bank stocks gain (Roundup)

A benchmark index of Indian stock markets ended Samvat 2069 Friday hitting its third straight record closing high at 21,196.81 points. The market barometer also crossed its highest level so far intra-day.

The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed 32.29 points or 0.15 percent higher at 21,196.81 points, from the previous day's close at 21,164.52 points. This is the highest closing level of the benchmark index so far.

The Sensex surpassed its highest so far level of 21,206.77 points on Jan 10, 2008 in the intra-day trade when it touched 21,293.88 points.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also made gains. It ended at 6,307.20 points, up 8.05 points or 0.13 percent.

Healthy buying was observed in bank, automobile and metal sectors. However, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), consumer durables and oil and gas stocks.

The S&P BSE Bank index was up 189.23 points, followed by automobile index which was higher by 155.63 points and metal index, which gained 129.48 points.

However, FMCG index was 62.49 points down, consumer durables index was down 45.77 points and oil and gas sector was down 45.49 points.

Prominent Sensex gainers were: State Bank of India (SBI), up 4.67 percent at Rs.1,879.40; Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), up 4.12 percent at Rs.924.95; Jindal Steel, 3.46 percent at Rs.248.35; Seas Sterlite, up 2.30 percent at Rs.206.55; and BHEL, up 1.77 percent at Rs.143.45.

Only ten of the 30 Sensex scrips closed in the red. ONGC, down 1.88 percent at Rs.287.70; NTPC, down 1.71 percent at Rs.146.15; ITC, down 1.66 percent at Rs.328.70; Infosys, down 0.90 percent at Rs.3,278.75; and Gail India, down 0.71 percent at Rs.350.35 were among the major Sensex losers.

The New Samvat year (New Year according to Hindu calendar) begins this weekend

Among the Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.88 percent down, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was higher by 0.19 percent, and China's Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.37 percent.

In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was trading 0.08 percent higher, and Germany's DAX Index was down 0.19 percent. The French CAC 40 Index closed the day's trade 0.28 percent down.