Sensex opens firm at 19,895.49 pts, up by 197 pts

Mumbai, Nov 19: The BSE index today resumed firm at 19,895.49 points with a massive gain of 197 points from its last close of 19,698.36 points on sustained heavy speculative demand from FIIs and local financial institutional investors.

Brokers said, '' The market surged in opening trade but it pared gains later. All the sectoral indices on BSE rose. Reliance Industries advanced. FMCG and auto stocks edged higher. The market breadth was strong.

Later, the 30-share BSE Sensex was up 129.38 points or 0.66 per cent (pc) at 19,827.754. At day's high of 19,971.44, the sensex has gained 273.08 points from its last close.

The broader CNX S&P Nifty index of NSE was up 37.1 points or 0.63 pc at 5,943.59, before it opened high at 5908.05 points from it last close of 5906.85 points.The Nifty index recorded high at 5981.80 points in intra day trade.

The BSE Mid-Cap index rose 1.99 pc to 8,681.40 and the BSE Small-Cap index rose 2.59 pc to 10,649.41.

Index heavyweight and India's largest private sector firm by market capitalisation Reliance Industries moved up 0.22 pc to 2878.

India's largest real estate firm by market capitalisation DLF rose 1.54 pc to Rs 951. It replaced Dr. Reddy's Laboratories in Sensex today.

ACC was up 2.81 pc to Rs 1,068.90, Grasim Industries rose by 2.62 pc to Rs 3,932 and NTPC hardened by 1.97 pc to Rs 2,69.50 edged higher.

TCS was down by 0.56 pc to Rs 976.70, Satyam Computer Services eased by 0.36 pc to Rs 427 and Wipro declined by 0.11 pc to Rs 457.80 edged lower.

Auto stocks saw action today. Tata Motors was up by 0.69 pc to Rs 703 followed by Mahindra&Mahindra by 0.96 pc to Rs 740, Hero Honda Motors by 1.38 pc to Rs 704, Bajaj Auto by 1.35 pc to Rs 2,380 and Maruti Suzuki India by 0.43 pc to Rs 1,054 edged higher.

FMCG stocks rose. ITC was up by 1.97 pc to Rs 209.20, Hindustan Unilever gained by 1.52 pc to Rs 204.10 and United Spirits rose by 1.66 pc to Rs 1,990.

Most Asian markets were trading in red. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.87 pc at 27,373 followed by Japan's Nikkei by 0.12 pc at 15,137.02, Singapore's Straits Times by 0.39 pc at 3,427.50, South Korea's Seoul Composite by 0.74 pc to 1,911.94 which did not impact on the Indian bources. However Taiwan Weighted was up by 0.1 pc at 8,773.88, brokers added.

UNI