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Mumbai: Key indices of the Indian equities markets, buoyed by renewed buying interest and stable markets elsewhere in Asia, closed at their highest levels in 15 months Monday. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 15,425.86 points, closed at 16,016.32 points, up 327.20 points or 2.09 percent higher than Friday's close. The chart showing the 52 week performance of Sensex is on the left.
Asian stock markets rose on Monday, tracking Friday's gains of the U.S. markets. The Wall Street closed higher on Friday after the pace of job losses eased in the world's largest economy. The pledge by the Group of 20 finance ministers to maintain stimulus measures to prop up the global economy also buoyed investor sentiments.Friday's U.S. government's report showed that companies cut 216,000 jobs last month, which was less dismal than expected and encouraged investor hopes of a turnaround in the labor market. The figure seemed to eclipse the news that U.S. unemployment, despite fewer job losses, hit 9.7 percent - its highest since 1983.The Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), too, hit a 15-month high to end at 4,782.90 points, up 2.19 percent. Broader market indices also fared well, with the BSE midcap index ending 2.31 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index up 2.83 percent.Amongst the sectoral indices, BSE Realty Index gained 5.49 percent, BSE Metal Index jumped 3.95 percent and BSE Bankex moved 3.10 percent higher.Biggest Sensex gainers comprised Tata Motors (11.32 percent), Reliance Communications (6.62 percent), ICICI Bank (6.01 percent) and Jaiprakash Associates (5.99 percent). On the other hand ITC (down 0.92 percent) and Mahindra and Mahindra (down 0.53 percent) were the major losers.Market breadth, the number of advancing stocks to declining stocks, was positive for the day. Of the 2883 stocks traded on BSE, 2,240 stocks advanced whereas 589 stocks declined. 54 stocks ended unchanged.