Expectations of robust results keep the ball rolling

The market held firm for the entire session, as buying continued following the smooth rollover of open positions in the derivatives segment, from March to April. A slower-than-expected rise in inflation also brightened the sentiment. The rally is also attributed to building up of fresh positions, anticipating robust set of Q4 and FY 2007 results from India Inc.

Sensex ended up 92.44 points or 0.71% at 13072.1, and the Nifty closed up 23.45 points or 0.62% at 3821.55.

Power PSU, NTPC, was the top-gainer, up 2.86% to Rs 149.45.Pharma major Dr Reddy’s Labs advanced 2.76% to Rs 724.90, while other pharma giant Ranbaxy Laboratories edged up 2.24% to Rs 353.Cigarette major ITC surged 2.41% to Rs 150.25.Tata Motors rose 1.56% to Rs 726.Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) advanced 1.22% to Rs 1372.60, as 5.66 lakh shares got transacted. The scrip also attained a high of Rs 1373.50.IT major Wipro was the top-loser, down 1.42% to Rs 557.50.HDFC (down 1% to Rs 1520), TCS (down 1.20% to Rs 1332) and Bhel (down 1.14% to Rs 2253) were the other losers.