Sensex surges 173 points in early trade on back of positive macro economic data, strong institutional buying

The benchmark BSE Sensex soared 173 points in opening trade on Wednesday, rising for the second straight session on back of positive macroeconomic data and sustained buying by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) amid appreciating rupee.

Besides, a mixed trend in other Asian markets following positive lead from Wall Street buoyed sentiment here. The 30-share barometer rose 172.96 points, or 0.50 per cent, to 34,473.43 in opening session. All sectoral indices were trading in the green, with realty, metal, capital goods and oil & gas rising up to 1.65 per cent.

The NSE index Nifty climbed 41.50 points, or 0.39 per cent, to 10,581.25. Brokers said buying picked up on positive economic data. Industrial output grew by 7.1 per cent in December and retail inflation eased in January to 5.07 per cent.

DIIs bought shares worth Rs 1,342.70 crore on net basis, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 814.11 crore on net basis on Monday, provisional data showed.

Major gainers were Bharti Airtel, HDFC, Adani Ports, Wipro, RIL, Dr Reddy's, L&T, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Tata Steel, M&M, Yes Bank and Coal India, gaining up to 1.92 per cent.

Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.73 per cent and Singapore edged up 0.05 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei fell 0.64 per cent and China's Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.32 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, closed 0.16 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.