Sensex gains 157 points on F&O expiry, positive global cues

Mumbai: Rising for the second straight day, the BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 157 points on Thursday amid expiry of December series derivatives contracts and positive global cues.

After rallying close to 400 points earlier in the session, the 30-share index pared some gains but finished 157.34 points, or 0.44 per cent, higher at 35,807.28.

The broader NSE Nifty rose 49.95 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 10,779.80.

The biggest gainers on both the bourses were Reliance Industries, Infosys, NTPC, ONGC, HUL, PowerGrid, Asian Paints, ITC and HCL Tech, rising up to 2 per cent. On the other hand, Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Maruti Suzuki fell up to 2 per cent.

Global sentiment improved as tensions between the White House and US Fed eased. However, a strengthening dollar triggered minor profit-booking, experts said.

Banking stocks fell amid reports that the government was likely to infuse Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds by the end of this month.

The rupee, meanwhile, weakened against the US dollar, and was trading at 70.28 a dollar, down 0.27 per cent from its previous close. Brent crude futures dropped 3.78 per cent to USD 53.20 per barrel.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 80.28 crore on Wednesday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net sellers to the tune of Rs 137.63 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei surged 3.88 per cent and Korea's Kospi ended 0.02 per cent higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.67 per cent and Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.61 per cent.

 In Europe, Paris CAC rose 0.15 per cent, while Frankfurt's DAX fell 1.41 per cent. London's FTSE fell 0.63 per cent.