Sensex up 68 points in early trade

The 30-share barometer gained 68.45 points, or 0.35 per cent, to trade at 19,408.35 points in early trade. The index had gained nearly 835 points in the previous four sessions.

The wide-based index of National Stock Exchange, Nifty, moved up by 13.15 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 5,893.00.

Brokers said trading sentiment remained firm on continued buying by funds and retail investors, tracking gains in other Asian markets after data showed Chinese manufacturing activity had picked up pace in November.

Stocks of some auto companies drew buying support largely on the back of encouraging sales data for the month of November, they said.

Banking major SBI was up over 1 per cent while private bank ICICI Bank gained nearly 1 per cent. Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra rose by 1.35 per cent while car maker Maruti Suzuki gained 1.39 per cent in early trade.

In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.10 per cent, while the Japan's Nikkei by 0.66 per cent in early trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.03 per cent higher in the previous session on Friday.