Sensex starts on a positive note, domestic buying builds

The flagship Sensex got off the ground with gains today amid continuous buying by domestic institutional investors.Asian cues remained positive, backed by overnight advance on Wall Street.

The 30-share index was up 77.58 points, or 0.24 per cent, at 31,749.29. The drivers were realty, healthcare, auto, metal and capital goods indices.

The gauge, which rose 174 points yesterday after the Reserve Bank decided to hold rates in line with expectations, had gained 512 points in the previous four sessions.

The NSE Nifty today went up 10.20 points, or



0.10 per cent, to 9,925.10.

Major gainers were M&M, Dr Reddy's, NTPC and Sun Pharma, rising by up to 1.57 per cent.

Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares net Rs 584.88 crore while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) dumped equities of Rs 632.14 crore yesterday, showed provisional data.

Japan's Nikkei rose 0.03 per cent while financial markets in Hong Kong, China and South Korea are closed today for a holiday.

US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.09 per cent higher yesterday.