Stock indices close at 1 pc higher as auto & IT stocks surge

MUMBAI:

Equity benchmark indices maintained some momentum despite lacklustre trading on Tuesday.

The BSE S&P Sensex closed 447 points or 0.9 per cent higher at 50,297 while Nifty 50 advanced by 158 points or 1.07 per cent to 14,919.

All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green with Nifty auto up by 3.2 per cent, IT by 3 per cent and FMCG by 1.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors jumped to Rs 345.15 per share. Mahindra & Mahindra gained by 4.6 per cent, Hero MotoCorp by 3.9 per cent and Bajaj Auto by 3.5 per cent.

Besides this, IT majors noticed significant gains with Wipro moving up 4.4 per cent to Rs 432.90 per cent.

Tech Mahindra, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services all gained between 3.2 and 3.5 per cent.

Power utility NTPC was up 3.7 per cent to Rs 112.45, and Adani Ports surged by 4 per cent to close at Rs 721.25 per share.

ONGC fell by 2.6 per cent to Rs 114 per share.

HDFC, Dr Reddy’s, Power Grid Corporation, Coal India, UPL and State Bank of India traded with a negative bias.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks were mixed despite a halt in the recent bond markets sell-off.