Nifty ends above 6000 mark

Indian markets gained for the second straight day on Tuesday with the BSE Sensex closing above 20,000 while the NSE Nifty ended at 6,000. The broader indices ended with smart gains with Small-Cap shares outpacing the Mid-Cap shares.

Sustained buying was seen in Metals, Banking and Realty counters, while defensive plays such as Pharma, FMCG and IT stocks were subdued.



"However, today’s upswing happened on fairly low volumes as big institutions continue to stay on the sidelines as the year-end approaches. The key indices in India will likely remain choppy in the near term and the Nifty is expected to trade in a range of 5750-6050," says Amar Ambani, Head of Research (India Private Clients) - IIFL.

Sentiment was upbeat throughout the session today, as Asian markets posted smart gains following the easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula. Equity markets across Europe too extended gains, notwithstanding a warning from Moody's that it could slash Portugal's credit rating.

The BSE Sensex advanced 171 points to close at 20,060 after being as high as 20,090. It had opened at the day's low of 19,925.

The NSE Nifty gained 53 points to close at 6,001 after touching a day's high of 6,007. It had opened at the day's low of 5,960.

Sterlite, Hindalco, ICICI Bank, DLF, SBI, Wipro, Jindal Steel, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, M&M, RIL, Maruti, Ranbaxy, Sesa Goa, Axis Bank and IDFC were the top gainers in the two main indices.

Sun Pharma, Hero Honda, Dr. Reddy's, BPCL, Suzlon and ACC were the notable losers in the Sensex and the Nifty.

Outside the main indices, the biggest winners were Arshiya International, Akzo India, City Union Bank, India Infoline, Gujarat Pipavav, Jai Corp, Tech Mahindra, Firstsource Solutions, Hotel Leela, SpiceJet, Asian Paints and Wockhardt.

Ispat Industries, Unichem Labs, Shree Ashtavinayak, Sintex, Sadbhav Engineering, Opto Circuits and Power Finance were among the biggest losers in the BSE 500 index.