Sensex opens above 14,000 mark at 14,007.67 pts

Mumbai, Dec 8 (UNI) The Sensitive index today again crossed 14,000 mark and opened at 14,007.67 points from its last close of 13,972.03 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on fresh specultive demand by FIIs and some local investors, brokers said.

After opening firm above 14,000 the barometer index, the BSE Sensex lost steam, soon tracking mostly subdued Asian markets. I-flex had soared on Oracle substantially raising the open offer price.

The Sensex was down 5 points, at 13,966. It had opened with an upward gap of 35.64 points, at 14,007.67. It also hit a high of 14,009.56. The current index is quoted low at 13,882.30 points with major loss of 89.73 points from it last close.

Meanwhile S&P CNX Nifty index of NSE, however, resumed flat at 4,015.75 points. The Nifty index recorded a high at 4,046.85 points and low at 3,976.55 points during the mid-morning session. The present index is touched low at 3,990.25 points with net loss of around 25 points from it last close of 4,015.35 points.

I-flex surged 16 per cent to Rs 2,037. As many as 2.1 lakh shares changed hands in the counter on BSE.

ICICI Bank rose 1.3 per cent to Rs 889.85, after its ADR rose 1.6 per cent on Thursday to USD 39.96.

State Bank of India hiked nearly 1 per cent to Rs 1,359. As per reports, State Bank of India (SBI) intends to start operations in Israel by March 2007.

Wipro and Satyam Computer were subdued following decline in their ADRs on Thursday. Satyam Computer shed 0.7 per cent to Rs 463. On Thursday, Satyam Computer ADR lost 1.5 per cent to USD 23.58. Wipro shed 0.4 per cent to Rs 582 after its ADR lost 2 per cent on Thursday to USD 15.70.

Software major Infosys eased 0.5 per cent to Rs 2,210. Its ADR was unchanged at USD 54.65 on Thursday.

Tata Motors declined 0.7 per cent to Rs 885, even as its ADR rose 2 per cent on Thursday to USD 20.

Oil exploration major ONGC shed 0.5 per cent to Rs 856.75. Oil rose slightly to USD 62.79 a barrel, trading in a narrow range ahead of OPEC's meeting next week to decide whether to cut output further.

Reliance Industries (RIL) shed 0.1 per cent to Rs 1,298.80. As many as 1.05 lakh shares changed hands in the counter on BSE.

Asian stocks fell on Friday, with Seoul shares slipping to a near four-week low, while the US dollar was little changed as investors waited for data from Japan and the United States for clues on interest rates, brokers added.

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