Sensex hits 18-month closing high; Tata Steel gains

(Reuters) - Indian shares closed at their highest in 18 months on Thursday, tracking gains in regional equities, as better-than-expected Chinese trade data boosted companies such as Tata Steel .

The benchmark BSE index <.BSESN> ended 0.41 percent higher at 29,045.28, while the broader NSE index <.NSEI> closed up 0.39 percent at 8,952.50, their highest closing levels since early March 2015.

Both indexes fell as much as 0.25 percent earlier in the session.

Tata Steel rose 3.3 percent while Hindalco Industries gained 1.4 percent, tracking gains in global metal prices following positive Chinese data.

(Reporting by Aastha Agnihotri in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)