Sensex closes 24 points up

Mumbai -  A benchmark index of Indian equities markets Friday closed 24 points higher. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,701.20 points, closed 17,681.44 points, (provisional) 0.14 percent or 24.23 points up from its previous day's close at 17,657.21 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 17,801.39 points and a low of 17,622.62 points in intra-day trade.

The BSE FMCG index was up 65.74 points, and so was the IT index, up 58.69 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed 0.08 percent higher at 5,367.05 points.

The major Sensex gainers were Tata Motors, up 2.27 percent at Rs.240.80; ITC, up 1.53 percent at Rs.262.10; Infosys, up 1.52 percent at Rs.2,349.40; Wipro, up 1.39 percent at Rs.354.40; and Hindustan Unilever, up 1.31 percent at Rs.501.05.

The main Sensex losers were Jindal Steel, down 4.19 percent at Rs.401.40; Tata Power, down 3.36 percent at Rs.97.70; Hindalco, down 2.52 percent at Rs.113.90; Gail India, down 1.79 percent at Rs.360.30; and Larsen and Toubro, down 1.59 percent at Rs.1,451.