Mumbai, April 30 (Inditop.com) A benchmark index for Indian equities Friday was holding on to its morning gains and ruling 0.5 percent higher than its previous close in afternoon trade.
The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,503.47 points, was ruling at 17,591.51 points, 88.04 points or 0.5 percent higher than its previous close at 17,503.47 points.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was ruling at 5,281.45 points, a gain of 0.52 percent from its previous close at 5,254.15 points.
Broader market indices were also in the positive with the BSE midcap index ruling 1.03 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index trading 0.72 percent up.
The market breadth was positive with as many as 1,831 scrips advancing compared to 1,002 stocks declining, while 103 remained unchanged.
News of the Greece government firming up austerity measures to quickly secure a debt relief package from European countries helped stocks rise in key bourses around the world.
In Asia, the South Korean Kospi closed 0.76 percent up at 1,741.56 points, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 1.59 percent higher at 21,108.59 points.
The Japanese Nikkei, too, ended in the positive, up 1.21 percent at 11,057.40 points.
However, the Chinese Shanghai composite index ended flat at 2,870.61 points, up 0.08 percent.
European stocks were up as well.
The FTSE 100, the benchmark index of the London Stock Exchange, was at 5,630.5 points, up 0.23 percent, while its German peer, DAX, was trading 0.71 percent higher at 6,188.29 points.
The French CAC 40 index was also up at 3,848.58 points, up 0.21 percent.
