BSE Sensex end higher; banks gain

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex edged up on Tuesday as interest rate-sensitive companies such as Tata Motors and ICICI Bank extended recent gains amid rising expectations that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will keep monetary policy unchanged next week.

Engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Ltd rose ahead of its earnings on Wednesday as investors remain focused on results, while Hindustan Zinc Ltd gained after the government approved a sale of its stake in the company.

However, broader gains were limited as investors booked profits in recently rallying software services exporters such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd .

"Markets are likely to trade rangebound and stock-specific with a positive bias. Inflation is under control and we expect positive steps from the central bank," said Suresh Parmar, head, institutional equities at KJMC Capital Markets.

"Banking stocks will continue to do well while other interest-specific sectors such as auto and real estate would also see some buying interest ahead of the policy."

The Sensex closed up 0.22 percent at 21,251.12, while the broader Nifty ended higher 0.16 percent at 6,313.80.

Overseas investors bought Indian shares worth 3.85 billion rupees on Monday, provisional exchange data showed. Foreign institutional investors have been buyers for eight consecutive sessions to the tune of 24.06 billion rupees.

Banks were among the leading gainers, with State Bank of India up 1.08 percent and ICICI Bank ending higher 3.26 percent.

The central bank is due to hold its policy review on January 28 amid strong expectations that it will keep interest rates on hold for a second consecutive month after inflation eased last month. The RBI had raised interest rates by a total of 50 basis points over September and October.

Shares in Hindustan Zinc Ltd rose 1.43 percent after the government approved on Monday the sale of its shares in the metal company. The government holds a 29.5 percent stake in the company.

However, software services exporters fell with Tata Consultancy Services down 2.48 percent after gaining 5.3 percent on Monday, its biggest single-day gain since April 2012, as investors took profits.

Asian Paints fell 2.19 percent after the company's net profit for the October-December quarter fell 1.75 percent, disappointing some investors.

(Reporting by Indulal PM)