Sensex gains 68 points; auto, FMCG stocks rise

A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Thursday closed 67 points up on the back of healthy buying in automobile, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and power stocks.

However, metal, oil and gas and bank scrips took a plunge.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,066.94 points, closed at 20,215.40 points, up 67.76 points or 0.34 percent from its previous day's close at 20,147.64 points.

Sensex touched a high of 20,254.03 points and a low of 20,066.14 points in intra-day trade. 

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed the day at 0.32 percent or 19.75 points up at 6,124.05 points.

The S&P BSE automobile index closed 254.55 points up, while the FMCG index moved higher by 127.91 points and the power index was up 12.61 points. However, metal index was down by 97.48 points, followed by oil and gas index, down 66.31 points, and bank index, down 58.17 points.

The prominent Sensex gainers were: Mahindra and Mahindra, up 4.61 percent at Rs.1,004.60; Tata Motors, up 4.31 percent at Rs.316.90; ITC, up 3.51 percent at Rs.354.25; HDFC, up 1.80 percent at Rs.925.65; and NTPC, up 1.62 percent at Rs.156.75.

Among the major losers were Cipla, down 4.62 percent at Rs.383; Tata Steel, down 3.90 percent at Rs.301.80; Hindalco Inds, down 3.18 percent at Rs.106.45; ICICI Bank, down 2.71 percent at Rs.1,182.75; and Hero MotoCorp, down 1.96 percent at Rs.1,752.35.

Among other Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 5.15 percent lower, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng went 0.31 percent down. China's Shanghai Composite Index also closed 0.27 percent lower.

At closing bell here, major European markets were trading in the positive territory. Britain's FTSE 100 was trading 0.42 percent higher, while German DAX was up 0.81 percent. The French CAC 40 was up 1.06 percent.