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Markets ended higher in trades today led by gains in auto and oil & gas stocks. The Sensex provisionally ended at 19,367, up 138 points and the Nifty advanced 43 points to close at 5,742.
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(Updated at 1430 hours)
Markets are trading on a firm note in the late noon deals led by buying visible in the auto stocks. The Sensex has advanced 64 points to 19,293 and the 50-share Nifty is up 25 points at 5,724.
Meanwhile, the broader markets are trading on a flat note in trades today. The BSE mid-cap index has gained 28 points at 5,582 and the small-cap index is up 0.2% or 13 points at 5,382.
On the macro economic front, On the macro front, country's wholesale price index inflation spiked for the month of July raising uncertainty over policy action by the central bank to support growth. India's July WPI inflation was at 5.79%. May WPI inflation revised to 4.58% from 4.70%.
The Asian markets closed on a positive note in trades today. Japan's Nikkei advanced 1.3% or 183 points to end at 14,050, Hang Seng advanced 1.2% or 270 points to 22,541, Straits Times ended flat at 3,247 and the Tiwan Weighted slipped 35 points to close at 7,951.
The European markets are trading on a flat note FTSE is down 14 points at 6,598, CAC is up 10 points at 4,102 and the DAX is up 11 points at 8,425.
The data due later on Wednesday is expected to show that the euro zone economy moved out of its longest recession, eking out growth of 0.2% in the June quarter. The German economy grew by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2013, data on Wednesday showed, the largest expansion for Europe's biggest economy in more than a year.
Back home, Tata motors is the top gainer among the Sensex stocks. The stock has advanced 9.1% to Rs 318 also the highest level in past two months after after Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reported a strong 21% year-on-year (yoy) jump in global sales of 31,611 units in July.
JLR sold 2,41,801 vehicles in the first seven months of 2013, a 15% increase over the same period last year, JLR said in a statement.
The stock opened at Rs 296 and has seen a combined 8.47 million shares change hands on the counter till 1135 hours.
Hindalco is trading higher by 7% at Rs 98. Tata Steel, ONGC, Gail India, Bajaj Auto, Sterlite Industries, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and Tata power are also trading higher by 1-4.5% each.
On the other hand, BHEL is the top loser on the Sensex. The stock has fallen 2.3% at Rs 117. The stock has been consistently underperforming after the company reported decline in its profit for the first quarter of current financial year.
Wipro, HDFC, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, Bharti Airtel, Dr Reddy's Labs, Cipla, L&T, ITC and HDFC Bank are also trading in the red, lower by 0.5-2% each.
Led by gains in heavyweights such as Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra, the BSE auto index is the top gainer on the sectoral front. The index has gained 3.1% or 327 points at 10,856. Metal index is also up 3% or 221 points at 7,383. Oil & gas, consumer durables, Realty, PSU and bankex are also in the green. At the same time, IT, capital goods, tech and FMCG indices are trading lower, down 0.3 to nearly 1% each.
