Sensex trades higher; Sun Pharma, Hero Honda, HUL dip

ALSO READ See Key Market Stats - Top Gainers/ Losers, Most Actives, Highs/Lows See how Global Markets are trading Indian ADRs Nifty BSE | NSE 25/05/12 Are Mutual Funds betting on Nifty?

At 14:50 hours IST - continuous buying in telecom, capital goods, metal, banking (barring HDFC Bank), power, oil & gas exploration and select realty companies' shares was helping the markets to trade on the higher side. The Nifty remained above the 5,100 mark. But there was some volatility as FMCG, technology, pharma and auto stocks were witnessing selling pressure.

About 0.5% rise in European markets was also supportive to the benchmark indices. The 30-share BSE Sensex gained 97 points at 17,222 and the Nifty rose 32 points to 5,144. The broader indices were up 0.3-0.9%, as about 1,778 shares advanced while 1,127 shares declined on the BSE. Nearly 531 shares were unchanged.

Mahindra Satyam shot up 6.5%. In a block deal, nearly 49 lakh shares of this company changed hands at Rs 110/share.

Praj Industries rose 3.65%, as it will collaborate with Novozymes on advanced biofuels.

In the largecaps, Idea Cellular, Bharti Airtel, BHEL, SAIL, ICICI Bank, Reliance Communications and Jaiprakash Associates gained 2-4%.

However, Sun Pharma, Maruti Suzuki, Cipla, Hero Honda, HUL and HDFC Bank slipped around 1% each.

Top percentage gainers - Nagreeka Export, Dhanuka Agri, Micro Inks, APW President, PAE, Four Soft and Zenith Computer surged 20% each.

In the midcap space, Atlas Copco, Chambal Fertiliser, IndusInd Bank, Blue Dart and National Fertiliser gained 4-6% while Info Edge, Mcleod Russel, Nagarjuna Construction, HOEC and Shree Renuka declined 2.5-4.5%.

In the smallcap space, MIC Electronics shot up 18.62%. Gokul Refoils and Geojit BNP were up over 12%. HOwever, Sanghi Industries, Manaksia, Maharashtra Elektrosmelt, Nucleus Software and BASF slipped 4-8%.