Sensex Extends Rally; Nifty Reclaims 10,600 Level   

Mumbai:The benchmark BSE Sensex gained over 132 points to 34,578.39 in early trade today, rising for the third straight session today on buying by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) amid strong global cues.

Investors are also eyeing Q3 GDP data, to be released tomorrow. Market sentiment was bolstered after a Morgan Stanley report said India's economic recovery is expected to have gathered momentum and GDP growth for the December quarter is likely to have accelerated to 7 per cent, broker said. Benchmark BSE Sensex advanced by 132.64 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 34,578.39 in early session today. The gauge has gained 626.25 points in the previous two sessions.

All sectoral indices were trading in the green, led by gains in oil and gas, consumer durables, auto, banking, power, PSU, metals, FMCG and healthcare counters. The NSE Nifty50 reclaimed the 10,600-mark, by rising 32.65, or 0.30 per cent, to 10,615.25.

On a net basis, DIIs bought shares worth Rs 1,409.45 crore, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,119.51 crore yesterday, provisional data released by stock exchanges showed.

Top gainers included Yes Bank, RIL, ONGC, TCS, Dr Reddy's, Asian Paints, M&M, Wipro, HDFC Bank and Coal India, rising up to 1.75 per cent.

Meanwhile, shares of Punjab National Bank today slumped as much as 9 per cent to touch its 52 week low level in morning trade after the lender said the amount of fraudulent transactions could be as much as Rs 12,700 crore. Gitanjali gems, too, cracked nearly 5 per cent.

Overseas, Asian shares were trading higher following gains on Wall Street overnight ahead of Fed chair Jerome Powell's first congressional testimony later in the day.

Japan's Nikkei gained 1.39 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.06 per cent, while Shanghai Composite was down 0.97 per cent in early trading today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.58 per cent higher yesterday on fall in US bond yields.

PTI