Sensex gains 148 points as RBI keeps rates unchanged

With the Reserve Bank of India not raising any key interest rates in its mid-quarter review Monday, a benchmark index of Indian equities market closed 0.77 percent or 147.94 points up.

Good buying was seen in sectors like auto, capital goods, consumer durables, oil and gas and banking index (bankex). Only metal sector was trading in the red.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 19,249.90 points, closed at 19,325.87 points, up 147.94 points or 0.77 percent from its previous day's close at 19,177.93 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 19,344.28 points and a low of 19,084.68 points in intra-day trade.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended 0.72 percent or 41.65 points up at 5,850.05 points.

The S&P BSE auto index surged by 203.64 points, capital goods index increased by 107.41 points, consumer durables index moved up by 66.92 points, oil and gas index inched up by 55.08 points and bankex increased by 59.20 points, however, metal index dipped by 10.52 points.

The prominent Sensex gainers were: Mahindra and Mahindra, up 10.52 percent at Rs.989.40; BHEL, up 3.37 percent at Rs.182.35; Bharti Airtel, up 2.53 percent at Rs.296.40; Bajaj Auto, up 2.50 percent at Rs.1,807.25; Sun Pharma, up 2.20 percent at Rs.973.85; Tata Power, up 1.67 percent at Rs.82.30; and RIL, up 1.36 percent at Rs.825.10.

The main losers were: Hindalco Industries, down 1.64 percent at Rs.102; Dr. Reddy's Lab, down 1.38 percent at Rs.2,146.55; Gail India, down 0.98 percent at Rs.299.10; and Sterlite Industries, down 0.90 percent at Rs.82.25.

Among other Asian markets, Japanese Nikkei was up by 2.73 percent; Chinese Hang Seng moved up by 1.22 percent, and Singapore's Strait Times Index inched up by 0.70 percent. Only the Korean KOSPI was down by 0.32 percent

At around closing time here, London's FTSE 100 was trading up by 0.88 percent; Germany's DAX Index was up by 1.46 percent and France's CAC 40 Index was up by 1.82 percent.