Sensex, Nifty on new highs amid mixed global cues; Pharma stocks lead

New Delhi: Key equity indices scaled fresh lifetime highs despite trading with meagre gains in early trading on Monday amid mixed global cues. At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was up by 147 points or 0.33 per cent at 45,227 while the Nifty 50 gained by 47 points or 0.35 per cent at 13,306.

All sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green zone with Nifty FMCG up by 1.2 per cent, PSU bank by 1.1 per cent, metal by 0.8 per cent and private bank by 0.4 per cent.

Among stocks, Adani Ports was the top gainer by adding 4.3 per cent at Rs 473.25 per share. Energy majors ONGC, GAIL, NTPC and Bharat Petroleum Corporation too gained between 1.7 and 2.1 per cent.

The other prominent winners were UPL, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, ITC and Hindustan Lever. However, those which lost were Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC Bank, Titan and Bajaj Finserv.

Meanwhile, Asian shares retreated from a record peak after reports said the United States was preparing to impose sanctions on some Chinese officials. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell by 0.3 per cent following four straight sessions of gains.

China’s blue-chip index dropped 0.8 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down by 1.8 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei declined by 0.4 per cent.