Markets end in green for 3rd day; IT stocks shine

New Delhi: Markets extended gains for the third straight session on Tuesday, led by gains in IT stocks amid positive global cues

The 30-share BSE Sensex settled 112.77 points or 0.28 per cent higher at 40,544.37. The broader NSE Nifty rose 23.75 points or 0.20 per cent to 11,896.80.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra, Asian Paint, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, LT, Infosys, Nestle, TCS, M&M, Bajaj Auto and Ultrachem, rising upto 4.19 percent. On the other hand major losers were ONGC, Powergrid, NTPC, RIL, HDFC, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, SBI, ITC, Bajaj Finserve and HUL, falling upto 2.67 percent.

BSE realty, telecom, teck, IT, consumer durables, capital goods, industrials and auto indices climbed as much as 3.77 per cent, while oil and gas, energy, power, utilities and FMCG indices fell up to 1.30 per cent. In the broader markets, BSE midcap and smallcap indices gained up to 0.47 per cent.

The rupee meanwhile depreciated by 12 paise to close at 73.49 against the US dollar.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul ended on a positive note, while Tokyo settled in the red.

International oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.33 per cent lower at USD 42.48 per barrel.

In the previous session, Sensex ended 448.62 points or 1.12 per cent higher at 40,431.60. The broader NSE Nifty surged 110.60 points or 0.94 per cent to finish at 11,873.05.

Exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 1,656.78 crore on a net basis on Monday.