Stock market firms up further; Sensex hits a new high

Mumbai, Feb 6 (UNI) The BSE Sensex hit yet another new high of 14,563 during the morning trade as buying resumed in Index heavy-weights amidst firm trend.

The S&P CNX Nifty index at the NSE too inched up by 4.35 points at 4,215.35 points from the previous finish.

The market-breadth was positive and buying spree continued in the index-heavy based shares, dealers said.

Reflecting the uptrend, the 30-share Bombay Stock Exchance (BSE) Sensex made a start at 14,541.24 points, touched a high of 14,563.04 points, before moving down to the day's low of 14,468.99 points. The Bencmark index, currently being traded at 15539.31 points, registering a gain of 23.41 points from the last close of 14,515.90.

The market witnessed three huge block deals of 23.14 lakh shares each in TCS, at an average Rs 1,299.26 per share in opening trade.

The counter was the top-traded on BSE with a turnover of Rs 902.80 crore.

The stock was down marginally by 0.01 per cent to Rs 1,304.95, dealers said.

Yesterday's start performers HDFC was down 0.72 per cent to Rs 1,804.10, Bharti Airtel down 0.63% to Rs 776.30 and Hero Honda down 0.34 per cent to Rs 487.55.

While Grasim was the top gainer, up 2.06 per cent to Rs 2,847, on a thin volume of 1,440 shares.

NTPC went up 0.88 per cent to Rs 142.50, ICICI Bank rose by 1.05 per cent to Rs 956.75 and Ranbaxy advanced by 0.63 per cent to Rs 417.

Heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) was down 0.30 per cent to Rs 1,384.

Overseas, the US stocks showed mixed trends on Monday, with losses in shares of Microsoft Corporation weighing on technology shares. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 8.25 points, or 0.07 per cent, to end at 12,661.74, while the Standard&Poor's 500 Index dipped 1.40 points, or 0.10 per cent, to finish at 1,446.99. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 5.28 points, or 0.21 per cent, to close at 2,470.60.

In Tokyo, te Nikkei advanced 70.97 points to 17,415.77 by the close of the morning session. The broad TOPIX index rose 0.76 percent to 1,729.26.

UNI