Markets log 4th day of rally on buying in HDFC Bank

Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices ended in the positive territory on Wednesday on buying in HDFC Bank and a largely firm trend in Asian markets.

Fag-end buying helped the BSE Sensex climb 100.26 points or 0.15 per cent to settle at 65,880.52. During the day, it had declined 292.23 points or 0.44 per cent to 65,488.03. The Nifty advanced 36.15 points or 0.18 per cent to end at 19,611.05. From the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Titan, ITC, UltraTech Cement, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever and Kotak Mahindra Bank were among the major gainers. Tata Steel, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, NTPC and ICICI Bank were the major laggards.

In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong ended in the green while Seoul settled lower. European equity markets were trading lower. The US markets ended in the negative territory on Tuesday. Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.70 per cent to USD 89.41 a barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,725.11 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data. The BSE benchmark had climbed 152.12 points or 0.23 per cent to settle at 65,780.26 on Tuesday. The Nifty advanced 46.10 points or 0.24 per cent to end at 19,574.90.