Sensex strikes another ton...Ends above 20,500

The Indian markets ended the last trading session of 2010 on a positive note, as investors extended their buying spree of the previous two sessions. The NSE Nifty firmed up above the 6100 levels, while the BSE Sensex ended above the 20,500 levels. Today’s rally was led by Realty, Banking, Auto and Power stocks. Even the broader indices put up a decent show. The BSE IT index was the only sectoral index in the red, falling 0.2% after the recent gains.



"Inflation would continue to remain a big concern for the Indian markets after food inflation shot up to a 10-week high. Also, dismal data on the infrastructure growth for November after the previous month's strong show. The Indian market’s performance was clearly among the better ones in 2010 and the new year is expected to be equally promising too, says Amar Ambani, Head of Research (India Private Clients) - IIFL.

The BSE Sensex advanced 120 points to close at 20,509 and the NSE Nifty gained 33 points to close at 6,135. Among the BSE sectoral indices, the BSE Realty index was the top gainer the index gained 2.4%, followed by BSE Banking index was up 1.4% and the BSE Auto index gained 1%.

The broader indices also ended in green, the BSE Mid-Cap index was up 1.1% and BSE Small-Cap index was up 1.2%. The European indices were trading in the red, the DAX in Germany was down 1.1%, the CAC 40 index in France was down 0.4% and FTSE index was trading lower by 0.3%. Outside the frontline indices, the big gainers in the broader market were Vijaya Bank, Central Bank, JSW Energy and Jet Airways. On the other hand, losers included Motherson Sumi, Renuka Sug, Exide Ind and Torrent Power.