Sensex ends 273 pts higher; Nifty tops 11,470

Mumbai: Equity indices returned to winning ways on Tuesday after a day's pause, propelled by Bharti Airtel, HUL and Reliance Industries amid a positive trend in global markets.

A sharp appreciation in the rupee — which breached the 73-mark against the US dollar — added to the momentum, traders said.

After a choppy session, the BSE Sensex settled 272.51 points or 0.71 per cent higher at 38,900.80. It hit an intra-day high of 39,226.82 and a low of 38,542.11.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty advanced 82.75 points or 0.73 per cent to settle at 11,470.25. It touched a high of 11,553.55 and a low of 11,366.90 during the day.

Bharti Airtel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying 6.38 per cent, after the Supreme Court granted 10 years to telecom firms for paying the adjusted gross revenue (AGR)-related dues to the government with certain conditions.

Bajaj Finance, Asian Paints, Tata Steel, NTPC and SBI were among the other gainers.

On the other hand, ONGC, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and ICICI Bank were among the laggards, dropping up to 3.29 per cent.

BSE telecom, metal, power, healthcare, basic materials, capital goods, utilities and FMCG indices surged up to 3.81 per cent, while IT, oil and

gas and teck indices ended in the red.

Global markets perched near all-time highs as positive factory output data from China bolstered investor confidence.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 1.13 per cent higher at $45.79 per barrel. In the forex market, the rupee soared 73 paise to close at 72.87 against the US dollar.