Sensex, Nifty 50: Sensex climbs over 350 points, Nifty crosses 26,250;

MARUTI

,

BEL

rise up to 2%

Indian stock markets opened slightly higher on Friday, marking the second trading session of the new year, as investors geared up for a wave of company-related announcements ahead of the quarterly results season. Both the Sensex and Nifty are headed for a modest weekly advance, although ongoing selling by foreign portfolio investors continued to restrain overall market sentiment. On Thursday, the Indian equity benchmarks ended the first trading day of the year largely unchanged. The Sensex edged lower, while the Nifty posted marginal gains, supported by strength in heavyweight IT stocks. These gains helped offset losses caused by a sharp decline in ITC shares following the government’s announcement of a new cigarette tax. The BSE Sensex declined by 32 points, or 0.04%, to finish at 85,188.60. Meanwhile, the NSE Nifty 50 rose 17 points, or 0.06%, to close at 26,146.55, staying well above the 26,100 mark. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.