INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Stock market got a boost from uptick in Infosys and HDFC Bank.Indian equity benchmarks surged to new all-time highs on Friday with the BSE
benchmark index - S-P BSE Sensex - crossing 60,000 for the first time and Nifty soaring above its important psychological level of 17,900
led by gains Infosys, HDFC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services, ICICI Bank, HCL Technologies and Larsen - Toubro amid positive global cues
The Sensex rose as much as 427 points to hit a record high of 60,312.51 and Nifty 50 index touched an all-time high of 17,947.As of 9:25 am,
the Sensex was up 278 points at 60,163 and Nifty 50 index advanced 109 points to 17,932."Expectations of solid economic recovery and
sustained growth in the next couple of years is keeping the bulls enthused
Also from global funds perspective, India remains an attractive destination, especially in the China+1 scenario
Having said that retail investors must have a diversified portfolio at this stage to face any kind of volatility," said Sandeep Bharadwaj,
CEO, retail at IIFL Securities.Overnight, world stock markets rallied and the U.S
dollar retreated from one-month highs as worries faded about a contagion from China Evergrande and as investors digested the Federal
Reserve's plans for reining in US stimulus.On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 506.5 points, or 1.48 per cent, to
34,764.82, the S-P 500 gained 53.34 points, or 1.21 per cent, to 4,448.98 and the Nasdaq Composite added 155.40 points, or 1.04 per cent, to
15,052.24.Back home, nine of 15 sector gauges compiled by the National Stock Exchange were trading higher led by the Nifty Information
Technology index's 2.5 per cent gain
Nifty Bank, Pharma, Financial Services and Private Bank indices were also trading higher.On the other hand, metal, media, PSU banking and
real estate shares faced selling pressure.Mid- and small-cap shares were witnessing mild buying interest as Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 0.2
per cent and Nifty Smallcap 100 index advanced 0.51 per cent.Wipro was the top Nifty gainer; the stock rose 2.85 per cent to hit an
intraday high of Rs 693.50
Grasim Industries, Infosys, Larsen - Toubro, HCL Technologies, Asian Paints, Tata Consultancy Services, Eicher Motors, HDFC Bank and Tech
Mahindra also rose 1-2 per cent each.On the flipside, JSW Steel, Hindalco, NTPC, SBI Life, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finance, Tata Consumer
Products, HDFC and Mahindra - Mahindra were among the laggards.The overall market breadth was extremely positive as 1,739 shares were
advancing while 808 were declining on the BSE.
