Markets extend gains for fourth day, up 201 points

Markets extended gains for the fourth trading session as the S&P BSE benchmark Sensex surged by another 201 points in late morning trade today on sustained buying in FMCG, metal, consumer durable, healthcare and banking sectors.
The BSE-30 share index, Sensex, resumed higher at 18,691.83 and moved up further to a high of 18,825.77 before quoting 18,820.61 points at 1030 hours.
It showed a gain of 200.89 points or 1.08 per cent from its last last weekend's level.
The NSE 50-share index Nifty also firmed up by 49.95 points or 0.91 per cent to 5,521.75 at 1030 hours.
Major gainers were - Sesa Goa (2.94 per cent), ITC (2.61 per cent), Maruti (2.43 per cent), Tata Steel (2.13 per cent), Jindal Steel (2.12 per cent), Sun Pharma (2.03 per cent), HDFC (1.96 per cent), ICICI Bank (1.83 per cent) and HUL (1.68 per cent).

Most Asian stocks firmed up in early trade after a gauge of China's manufacturing rose to a 16-month high, boosting investor confidence in the global economic recovery.
Key benchmark indices in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore rose by 0.07 to 1.85 per cent while indices in China, South Korea, and Indonesia fell by 0.08 to 0.51 per cent.