BSE Sensex resumes high at 14,260.39 pts

Mumbai, Feb 21: The BSE Sensex today opened higher at 14,260.39 points against 14,253.38 on the previous day's close, on fresh speculative demand from FIIs and mutual funds.

The market drifted lower after a firm opening. Weighing on the sentiment was a report that Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Toshihiko Fukui had proposed an interest rate hike at the Central Bank's policy board meeting. Japan's public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News Service reported that the BoJ policy board is likely to approve a rate increase to around 0.5 per cent from 0.25 per cent, without citing sources, brokers said.

Later the Sensex was down by 66 points at 14,187. The Sensex rose as many as 54.15 points at the onset of trading, to 14,307.53 in mid-morning session.

FMCG major Hindustan Lever (HLL) was down by 2.2 per cent to Rs 195.25. During trading hours on Tuesday, HLL reported 1.9 per cent fall in net profit in the December 2006 quarter to Rs 511 crore from Rs 521 crore in the December 2005 quarter.

Cement shares slipped for the second day in a row. ACC was down by 1.7 per cent to Rs 995, Grasim shed 1.7 per cent to Rs 2526 and Gujarat Ambuja Cements lost 0.8 per cent to Rs 129.

IT shares drifted lower. Infosys shed 1.1 per cent to Rs 2338, even as its ADR rose 1.1 per cent to USD 60.50 on Tuesday. Satyam Computer lost 1.7 per cent to Rs 468.90, its ADR lost 1.5 per cent to USD 23.55 on Tuesday.

L&T was flat at Rs 1668. L&T plans to invest Rs 10 billion (USD 226 million) to build a shipyard for very large crude carriers, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Ranbaxy was down by 0.8 per cent to Rs 391.60. Ranbaxy Laboratories may offer shares to private equity firms, list abroad or sell some businesses to fund a possible acquisition of Merck's generic business, a newspaper report said on Wednesday.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries rose 0.3 per cent to Rs 1419.45, extending Tuesday's rise.

Japan's Nikkei 225 average was down 0.4 per cent at 17,865.19.

Other Asian markets were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Singapore's Straits Times index were up 0.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively. South Korea's Seoul Composite index was down by 0.39 per cent, brokers added.

UNI