Sensex climbs 817 points on global cues

MUMBAI: Posting gains for the second straight session on Thursday, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex zoomed by 817 points, with funds, influenced by a firming global trend, buying into stocks.
The Sensex, which recorded a gain of 341 points in the last day's trading, surged further by 817.49 points at 17,766.63 on foreign funds turning active world-wide. The key index touched the day's high of 17,838.08 points and a low of 17,265.19 points.
Buying sentiments among foreign funds picked up following reports of a faster economic growth rate in Japan and better-than-expected US retail sales. The reports eased concerns that the two economies may slid into a recession.
In similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty surged to 5,202 by adding 272.55 points. Reflecting volatility in the market, the Nifty touched a high of 5,220.25 and a low of 4,944.65 points.
Major support to the market came in from the capital goods sector with its index gaining the most 1,140.36 points at 16,282.17, followed by metal index by 847.58 points at 15,621.89. In the capital goods sector, public sector BHEL, a leading manufacture r of thermal power equipment, shot up to four month's high on reports of winning a contract. Oil and gas index also ended up by 755.38 points at 10,932.36 as the sector's major private refiners Reliance Petroleum and Essar Oil, along with Centurion Ban k of Punjab and state-run Steel Authority of India, surged on the announcement of their inclusion in a number of MSCI indices.
Realty sector index posted gains of 714.66 points at 10,143.55, following DLF Ltd rising the most in more than a week after winning the sponsorship rights for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket series. PSU index also firmed up by 585.94 points at 8351.60, bank index by 471.02 points at 10,614.09, consumer durable index by 290.29 points at 4587.70, auto index by 134.34 points at 4689.41, healthcare index by 118.19 points at 3610.88, IT index by 35.61 points at 3843.50 and teck index by 89.35 poin ts at 3322.90. As the buying activity spilled over a wide-front, midcap index shot up by 377.19 points at 7452.72 and smallcap index by 358.06 points at 9407.76.