Sensex advances 147 pts, Nifty above 8,300 on firm Asian cues

The benchmark BSE Sensex rose by 147 points while the NSE Nifty regained 8,300-mark in early trade today on sustained foreign funds inflows amid a firming Asian cues.

Better-than-expected earnings by telecom major Bharti Airtel also influenced sentiment.

The 30-share index, which had gained 183.15 points in the previous session, surged by 147.33 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 27,618.14 points in early trade.

Among major gainers, Larsen and Toubro, Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors, Hindalco, Hero MotoCorp and ICICI Bank rose up to 1.5 per cent.

All the sectoral indices led by metals, IT and auto were trading in the positive zone with gains up to 0.85 per cent.

The National Stock Exchange's index Nifty reclaimed the 8,300-mark by rising 40.85 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 8,336.30.

Brokers said continued buying by funds and retailers amid a firming trend at other Asian markets after Chinese interest rate cut on Friday buoyed sentiments here.

Japan's Nikkei moved up by 1.21 per cent, Hong Kong rose 0.25 per cent and Shanghai index 0.79 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.90 per cent higher in Friday's trade.