Sensex up over 100 points; IT stocks rise

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), made healthy gains during the pre-afternoon trade session on Wednesday. It was trading with gains of over 100 points during the session under review.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also made gains during the pre-afternoon trade session. It was trading 42.75 points or 0.49 percent up at 8,703.05 points.

The Sensex of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 28,601.49 points, was trading at 28,630.44 points (11.00 a.m.) in the pre-afternoon trade session, up 113.85 points or 0.40 percent from the previous day's close at 28,516.59 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 28,687.39 points and a low of 28,566.61 points in the intra-day trade so far.

Apart from S&P BSE Bank index, all other sector-based indices of the BSE made gains during the per-afternoon trade session. Healthy buying was observed in information technology (IT), consumer durable, capital goods, automobile and oil and gas sectors.

The S&P BSE IT index gained 169.96 points, consumer durable index increased by 142.49, capital goods index augmented by 138.89 points, automobile index rose 135.79 points and oil and gas index was up 104.39 points.

However, bank index slipped by 20.25 points.

On Tuesday the Indian markets ended on a flat note after the RBI, as expected, maintained status quo in key policy rates in its first bi monthly Monetary policy review.