Asian stocks rise

Asian stocks posted solid gains for a second consecutive day on Friday as market players scooped up bargains while the euro pushed higher, though the currency's gains may be limited for now as fears of a Greek default weighed on sentiment.

Noting the chunky gains in Asian stocks, European stock index futures pointed to early gains while the S&P e-mini futures rose 0.1%, suggesting a higher start on Wall Street later in the day.

Sensex UP

The market witnessed smart moves and showing no sign of weakness. Strong buying emerges from bank, oil & gas, realty and metal stocks while auto stocks were trading in negative terrain.

At 12.36 hrs IST, the Sensex was up 180.21 points at 18224.85, and the Nifty up 56.95 points at 5469.30.

Returns on Sensex

When inflation is chipping away at the real value of your money, paper wealth goes up in smoke faster than ever.Rising inflation in 2010-11 has not only seriously diluted returns on the Sensex, it has also negatively impacted an already lopsided performance of the 30 individual Sensex stocks.


Read full Story

Economic Slowdown

US stocks fell on Thursday following a rise in weekly jobless claims that added to concerns about an impending economic slowdown, while Goldman Sachs lowered its forecast for the S&P 500 index.

Initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose in the latest week and remained at elevated levels. Gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 1.8% in the first quarter, unchanged from the previous estimate and down from analysts' expectations for more robust growth.

New Expiry series kicked off

The new expiry series kicked off on a positive note in the opening bell. Asian markets were trading firm.

At 09.18, the Sensex was up 59.60 points at 18104.24, and the Nifty was up 25.65 points at 5438.

Top gainers on the Sensex were ICICI Bank at Rs 1,046 up 1.98%, HDFC at Rs 652.75 up 1.53%, Bharti Airtel at Rs 372.90 up 1.30%, DLF at Rs 219 up 1.25% and TCS at Rs 1,145.75 up 1.17%.

Top losers on the Sensex were Tata Motors at Rs 1,131.95 down 2.52%, Hero Honda at Rs 1,860.00 down 0.69%, Tata Power at Rs 1,198.20 down 0.14%, HUL at Rs 306.30 down 0.02%.