Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices began the trade on a positive note on Tuesday and were trading higher helped by buying in HDFC twins and mixed trends in Asian markets. The BSE Sensex advanced by 159.54 points to end at 60,851.08 after a firm beginning. The NSE Nifty gained 61.25 points to settle at 17,905.85.
The BSE benchmark had ended lower by 311.03 points or 0.51 percent at 60,691.54 on February 20. The Nifty fell by 99.60 points or 0.56 percent to end at 17,844.60. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) offloaded shares worth Rs 158.95 crore on February 20, according to exchange data.
From the Sensex pack, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC and HDFC Bank were the major winners.
Axis Bank, Titan, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major laggards.
In Asian markets, South Korea and China were trading in the green, while Hong Kong and Japan quoted lower.
The US markets were shut on February 20 for 'Presidents Day'.
International oil benchmark Brent crude declined 1.06 percent to USD 83.18 per barrel.
"Local equities may eke out small gains in early Tuesday trade, but the trading session could be more or less range-bound due to absence of cues from the US markets, which was closed on February 20 on account of Presidents Day. Looking at the sentiment over the past few weeks, trading sessions have been extremely gloomy to volatile amid recession fears, hawkish Fed expectations and muted Q3 from corporate India," said Prashanth Tapse, Research Analyst, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd.
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