Markets steady; ITC, Hindustan Unilever lead

The NSE Nifty is up 42 points at 4,135.

ITC has soared 3.7% to Rs 183. Hindustan Unilever and HDFC Bank have surged 3.5% each to Rs 227 and Rs 1,069, respectively.

Cipla, SBI and Reliance Communications have gained 3.3% each at Rs 222, Rs 1,342 and Rs 449, respectively.

ICICI Bank has rallied 3% to Rs 637. Wipro and Ranbaxy have moved up 2.3% each to Rs 374 and Rs 447, respectively.

Satyam has shed 2.3% at Rs 374. DLF has slipped 1.8% to Rs 449.

BHEL and Bharti Airtel are down 1.3% each at Rs 1,510 and Rs 792, respectively.

 

The market breadth is negative - out of 2,214 stocks traded so far, 1,181 have declined and 961 have advanced.