Sensex ends volatile session higher

The Sensex ends the volatile session higher on the back of buying interest seen in select stocks. FMCG and auto stocks also led the upmove. It opened with a gain of 60.25 points, at 14,103.65 on Tuesday despite negative global cues. The index gained ground on the back of sustained buying seen in heavyweights in noon trades, touching a high of 14,251.88. Finally it closed on a firm note.

BSE Midcap index rose 0.92%, while Smallcap index declined 0.33%.

Among the sectoral indices, BSE Auto and FMCG surged over 3% each, Capital goods rose 1.67%, while PSU and Oil & gas dipped over 1% each.

European stocks opened flat after three days of losses for the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid for a fifth day, the longest stretch of declines since October. UK`s benchmark index FTSE 100 rose 35.67 points, or 0.86%, to trade at 4,231.04.French benchmark index CAC 40 gained 20.72 points, or 0.67%, to trade at 3,102.50 and Germany`s benchmark index DAX advanced 45.30 points, or 0.97% to trade at 4,696.46. (4.24 p.m., IST)

Asian stocks end mixed as commodity shares fell on lower oil and metal prices. Japanese benchmark index Nikkei fell 33.08 points, or 0.34%, to end at 9,647.79. Hong Kong`s Hang Seng index lost 117.14 points, or 0.65%, to close at 17,862.27 and China`s Shanghai Composite declined 35.22 points, or 1.13%, to settle at 3,089.45.

The Sensex ended the day with a gain of 127.05 points, or 0.90% at 14,170.45 after touching a high of 14,251.88 and a low of 14,000.68. The broad-based NSE Nifty gained 36.45 points, or 0.88% at 4,202.15 after hitting a high of 4,231.80 and a low of 4,155.50.

Major gainers in the 30-share index were ITC (6.77%), Jaiprakash Associates (6.65%), Hero Honda Motors (5.80%), Mahindra & Mahindra (5.64%), ACC (5.34%), and Grasim Industries (5.19%).

On the other hand, Reliance Industries (2.02%), Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (1.91%), Reliance Communications (1.73%), Tata Motors (1.24%), Infosys Technologies (1.18%), and State Bank Of India(1.13%) were the major losers in the Sensex.

Overall market breadth was negative. Out of the total 2,630 stocks traded at BSE, 1,071 advanced, 1,461 declined while 98 remained unchanged.