NEW DELHI: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty opened on a firm note on Thursday, even as most Asian peers traded in the red. Oil prices recovered a bit in early trade following an overnight selloff. Gold prices fell to two-month low, while the domestic rupee was trading marginally lower against the dollar. All eyes are now on Gujarat elections ahead.
At 9.25 am, the 30-share Sensex was trading 80.21 points, or 0.25 per cent, higher at 32,677.39. The index was up over 100 points in the morning trade. The NSE barometer Nifty50 index was trading 23.55 points, or 0.23 per cent, higher at 10,067.65 at around the same time.
An opinion survey conducted by Times Now-VMR predicted an easy win for the BJP in Gujarat Assembly elections, but the party will fall short of its ambitious 150-seat mark, the survey suggested.This was against some recent polls which suggested a neck-to-neck fight between BJP and the main Opposion party Congress in the state.
Among Sensex stocks, Tata Steel rose 1.04 per cent to Rs 675. Bharti Airtel, Adani Ports and Cipla advanced up to 1 per cent. Larsen & Toubro, SBI, Dr Reddy's Labs, Hero MotoCorp and Infosys were other major index gainers.
IDBI Bank gained after the lender approved the sale of 27,99,999 equity share of National Securities Depository (NSDL) constituting 7 per cent of its total paid up equity capital held by IDBI Bank.
Shares of Hatsun Agro Product were up after the company approved raising funds for the company by way of issue of securities to the existing equity shareholders of the company on a rights basis aggregating up to Rs 900 crore.
BEML gained 0.6 per cent after the company opened a spare parts and warehouse office in Pune.
RCom rose 2 per cent after the operator said it was negotiating a settlement with China Development Bank (CDB), one of its largest creditors, even as the Chinese government banker sought to club its insolvency petition against the Anil Ambani-led company with other petitions seeking the same.
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