Sensex closes above 29,000-mark after 17 months

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The BSE benchmark Sensex closed above the key 29,000-mark Thursday after 17 months by rising 119 points on value buying at lower levels.

The 30-share index ended higher by 118.92 points to 29,045.28. It touched a high of 29,077.28 points and a low of 28,854.56 points during the intra-day trade.The 50-share Nifty also settled up by 34.55 points at 8,952.50.

Asian markets mostly rose today, extending a recent run of gains while Hong Kong and Shanghai were boosted by data showing Chinese imports rose in August for the first time in almost two years.

Regional shares have enjoyed a strong run since the start of the month, fuelled by optimism about the state of the US economy and the prospects of borrowing costs being kept at ultra-low levels until at least December.

Tokyo closed down 0.3 percent but the standout performer was Nintendo, which soared on news it had developed an exclusive Super Mario game for Apple.

Sydney lost 0.7 percent while Seoul edged up 0.1 percent and Singapore was marginally higher in late trade. Manila bounced from morning selling to end higher, as did Taipei.

With Agency Inputs