Sensex jumps 107 pts as March F&O series opens strong

Team Udayavani, Feb 23, 2018, 11:27 AM IST

Mumbai: The benchmark BSE Sensex rose over 107 points to 33,926.59 in early session today as the March derivatives series kicked off on a strong note amid positive Asian cues.

The 30-share Sensex, which had lost 25.36 points in the previous session, was trading higher by 107.09 points, or 0.31 per cent, at 33,926.59. All BSE sectoral indices were in the green, led by healthcare, bank, metal and realty stocks, rising by up to 1.33 per cent.

The NSE Nifty50 recovered 39.85 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 10,422.55. Brokers said investors were creating fresh positions at the start of March futures and options (F&O) series, that led to a recovery in the market. Major gainers include Sun Pharma, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Dr Reddy’s, Yes Bank, Tata Motors, SBI, Wipro and NTPC, rising up to 3.09 per cent.

Stocks of Punjab National Bank which had been under selling pressure since the massive fraud detection, however, edged 1.05 per cent higher. Shares of Gitanjali Gems slumped for yet another session and slumped nearly 5 per cent to Rs 24.80. A firm trend in Asian markets on positive cues from Wall Street pushed buying activity in bourses here, they added. 

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.67 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.36 per cent in early trade. China’s Shanghai Composite Index too edged higher by 0.14 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 164.7 points, or 0.66 per cent, to close at 24,962.48 yesterday. The S&P500 gained 2.63 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 2,703.96.