Extending its two-session gaining streak, the BSE benchmark Sensex rose by over 116 points to cross the psychological 20,000-mark in opening trade today amid a firming trend in the Asia region.
The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, which had gained over 240 points in the past two sessions, rose by another 116.36 points to 20,005.24 in early trade. All of the BSE’s sectoral indices were trading in the green, with gains of up to 1.21 per cent.
In a similar fashion, the broad—based National Stock Exchange Nifty index moved up by 35.65 points to 5,982.70 in early trade.
Brokers said besides the firming trend on other Asian bourses, encouraging corporate reports from some companies also buoyed the trading sentiment at home.
However, most investors were averse to making excessive purchases ahead of the end of the 2010 calendar year, which capped the gains, they said.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up by 0.45 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.59 per cent in early trade today.