Sensex, Nifty open higher; LIC, V-Guard & Siemens jump up to 6%

Indian equity benchmarks started on a positive note in Friday trade, led by gains in metal, pharma and state-owned lenders. The 30-share BSE Sensex pack was up 94 points or 0.13 per cent to trade at 70,959, while the broader NSE Nifty moved 38 points or 0.18 per cent up to trade at 21,293. Mid- and small-cap shares were up as well as Nifty Midcap 100 climbed 0.53 per cent and small-cap gained 0.94 per cent. India VIX, fear index, rose 0.92% to 13.89-level.

Asian markets were trading higher today, tracking an overnight rise in Wall Street equities.

Back home, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold Indian shares on a net basis during the previous session, offloading Rs 1,636.19 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,464.70 crore.

12 out of the 15 sector gauges -- compiled by the NSE -- were trading in the green today. Sub-indexes Nifty Metal, Nifty Pharma and Nifty PSU Bank were outperforming the NSE platform by rising as much as 0.94 per cent, 0.62 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.

On the stock-specific front, Adani Ports was the top gainer in the Nifty pack as the stock jumped 2.07 per cent to trade at Rs 1,040. Hindalco, Britannia Industries, Tata Steel and Divi's Labs gained up to 1.88 per cent.

In contrast, Infosys, ICICI Bank, UltraTech Cement, IndusInd Bank and Axis Bank and Cipla were among the top laggards.

The overall market breadth was strong as 2,190 shares were advancing while 479 were declining on BSE.

On the 30-share BSE index, frontline stocks such as Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance and Nestle India were among the top gainers.

Also, shares of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), V-Guard, Siemens, 360 One Wam and GMR Airports surged up to 5.76 per cent. On the flipside, Varun Beverages, Polycab India, Gujarat Ambuja Exports, Jupiter Wagons and BHEL slipped up to 6.32 per cent.

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