Corner-office salaries are moving northwards even as junior and mid-level pay remains stagnant, widening the compensation divide among ranks.

Essel Propack has sold its wholly owned subsidiary Packaging India Pvt Ltd, valued at Rs 165 crore, to Amcor Flexibles India Pvt Ltd.

The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty gained 414.04 points and 128.15 points, respectively, to 27,730.21 and 8,353.10. The mid-cap and small cap index closed up around 1.49 per cent and 1.40 per cent, respectively.

Most of them started with very little capital and resources. And all of them persevered through the bad times of the industry.

The BSE Healthcare index jumped 15 per cent to 16,900 on May 29 from 14,692 on December 31 last year.

Shares of Chennai Petroleum Corporation surged 19.98 per cent to Rs 108.05 after the company announced its fourth quarter earnings on Monday.

Shares of Man Industries jumped 14.53 per cent to Rs 69.35 after the company announced that it has received orders worth approximately Rs 510 crore from international oil and gas sector

Overall market breadth remained strong on the BSE as 1,471 stocks ended with gains, while 1,211 closed with losses.

Lupin today reported over 1 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 547 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31.

At present, the Sensex is trading at price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87 against its five year average of 17.99. According to the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Modi government has done a few reforms, typically the impact of reforms is felt with a lag.

The S&P BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty index on the National Stock Exchange gained 1.39 per cent and 1.34 per cent to 27,251.10 and 8,235.45, respectively.

Heavy selling pressure was seen in banking, capital goods and auto sectors, while marginally good buying was seen in consumer durables sector.

RIL was the only stock pick in energy segment in Asia, while Bharti and Lupin were the only ones in telecommunication and healthcare segments.

The financial services sector has emerged as the most favoured since May this year by attracting Rs 11,024 crore till October 15 as against an outflow of Rs 5,666 crore in this period previous year.

Drug maker Dr Reddy's Laboratories has launched duloxetine delayed-release capsules USP 20 mg, 30 mg and 60 mg in the US market, the company said.

After the initial run (till 10:15 am), when the Sensex crossed 25,000-mark, the market has seen profit booking and is currently range bound around 24,700.

Cipla shares saw a nearly 8 per cent drop after third quarter earnings lagged estimates. PSU  Coal India Ltd (CIL) fell 3.4 per cent on disappointing earnings. SBI ended 2.16 per cent down ahead of Q3'FY14 results on Friday. Overall, 26 of 30 Sensex constituents ended down.

In a circular, the BSE said it increased the circuit limit for firms including Kingfisher Airlines, Indian Bank and Simbhaoli Sugars, to 20 per cent from 10 per cent.

Experts tell Money Today about their expectations from the various sectors. While business sentiment and policy reforms should pick up after the general elections in 2014, the investment cycle may take time for any significant revival.

Equities can be one of the most profitable investments provided one buys the right stocks and stays invested for a long period to ride out market ups and downs. Money Today lists out the best picks among the 50 stocks in BSE-200 that have more than doubled since 2008.