Sensex up 150 pts; Nifty above 26,200; Hindustan Copper rises 5%, Vikran Eng 10%

Indian equity benchmark indices traded higher amid favourable global cues, with trading volumes expected to remain subdued ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Around 11 AM, BSE Sensex quoted 85,650.2, up 125.36 points or 0.15 per cent and NSE Nifty50 was at 26,211, up 33.85 points or 0.13 per cent.

NTPC, Bajaj Finance, Adani Ports, Trent, BEL, Kotak Bank, and Axis Bank were the top gainers on the BSE. Meanwhile, IT stocks like Infosys, TechM, and HCL Tech were the top losers.

In the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap 100 was up 0.12 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 was higher by 0.27 per cent.

Sector-wise, Nifty Realty, Metal and Private Bank rose 0.48 per cent, 0.47 and 0.3 per cent, respectively. However, the gains were capped by a fall in the Nifty IT index, down 0.48 per cent.
Key events

On Tuesday, US API Crude Oil Stock Change and Intial Jobless claims data will be released. Investors are also awaiting Bank of Japan Monetary Policy minutes.
IPO corner
In the mainboard IPO segment, Gujarat Kidney IPO will enter its last day of subscription.

In the SME space, MARC Technocrats and Global Ocean Logistics India will make their debut on the SME platforms. IPOs of EPW India, Dachepalli Publishers, Shyam Dhani Industries, and Sundrex Oil Co will close for bidding. Additionally, Apollo Techno Industries IPO, Bai Kakaji Polymers IPO, Admach Systems IPO, Nanta Tech IPO, and Dhara Rail Projects will enter their second day.