The markets shrugged off the surging oil prices and lacklustre global indices to sign off on a positive note.Putting behind a lethargic morning session, both the BSE barometer and the Nifty regained their respective psychological levels of 20k and 6k mark, aided by a jump in the metal and FMCG packs.
The Sensex ended at 20073, higher by 90 points and the Nifty ended at 6011, up 31 points.
The broader markets also moved in tandem; the midcap index ended at 7627, higher by 18 points and the smallcap index ended at 9354, up 29 points.
Meanwhile, the crude oil prices in the international markets climbed toward two-year highs, above $91 a barrel, on Thursday as cold weather in the US boosted demand, slashed stockpiles and contributed to a stronger-than-expected rise in fuel consumption in 2010.
And on the global market front, the Asian indices ended marginally lower across the board, with the Straits Times being the only exception.
Moreover, the European bourses, including the CAC, FTSE and DAC, edged marginally down in early trades.
But the US stocks racked up a fourth straight week of gains as investors expected optimism about the economic recovery to support equities through year-end.
The Dow added 14 points to 11,573, while the Nasdaq eased five points to 2,665
in overnight trades.
The metal index spiked up by 1.3% at 17274 to emerge as the top sectoral gainer on the BSE.
Among the metal heavyweights, Hindalco jumped 2.3% at Rs 239, Sterlite gained 1.7% at Rs 184 and Tata Steel added 1.7% at Rsc 673.
The FMCG index came a close second, with the likes of ITC strengthening by 1.8% at Rs 169 and Hindustan Unilever adding 0.8% at Rs 294.
On the other hand, the auto sector finished at the bottom of the BSE sectoral pack largely due to the weakness on Tata Motors counter; the auto major slid by 3.1% at Rs 1306.
Among the other major losers, BHEL shed 1% at Rs 2284 and ICICI Bank lost 1% at Rs 1119.
And thanks to the crude oil effect, the shares of three oil marketing companies also took a beating. HPCL weakened by 2% at Rs 399, BPCL shed 2.2% at Rs 672 and IOC lost 2.1% at Rs 354.
The market breadth was mildly positive. Out of 2997 stocks traded on the BSE, there were 1554 advancing stocks as against 1243 declines.
