●๋•●๋•●๋•దేశ భాషలందు తెలుగు లెస్స ●๋•●๋•●๋•

A benchmark index for Indian equities Thursday ended 264 points higher on short covering and positive European markets.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,668.91 points, closed at 16,922.08 points, 264.19 points or 1.59 percent up from its previous close at 16,657.89 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty closed at 5,078.6 points, up 1.57 percent from its previous close at 5,000.3 points.

Broader market indices were also in the positive terrain, with the BSE midcap index ending 1.1 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index 1.26 percent up.

All the 13 sectoral indices on the BSE were in the green.

Auto, metals, realty and telecom stocks saw more buying than others.

Of the 30 scrips on the Sensex, all but one ended in the green. Major gainers included Reliance Infra, up 5 percent at Rs.1,122.85; Bharti Airtel, up 4.81 percent at Rs.285.25, Tata Motors, up 4.31 percent at Rs.759.45, and Hero Honda, up 4.14 percent at Rs.2,006.45.

The only loser was ONGC, down 0.29 percent at Rs.1,188.10.

The market breadth was positive with 1,878 stocks advancing, 901 scrips declining and 135 remaining unchanged.

In other major Asian markets, the Japanese Nikkei ended higher at 9,542.65 points, up 1.1 percent after China reported robust export numbers, raising hopes that the Euro zone debt crisis would not derail the global economic recovery.

The South Korean Kospi too closed higher at 1,651.7 points, up 0.27 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed almost unchanged at 19,632.7 points, while the Shanghai composite index ended 0.82 percent lower at 2,562.58 points.

European markets, which opened weak, made up for their losses as trading progressed. European stocks climbed on the hope that the European Central Bank will leave the benchmark rate at a record low of 1 percent and as economic reports from China to Australia surpassed analysts' forecasts.

UK's benchmark index, the FTSE 100 was ruling 0.26 percent higher at 5,099.11 points.

The German DAX was ruling 0.55 percent up at 6,017.84 points, while the French CAC 40 was also ruling in the positive at 3,481.37 points, up 1 percent.