Sensex jumps at the start on Asian optimism

Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty were up today, mirroring Asian optimism on fresh data that pointed to a steady revival in the US economy.

At the start, the 30-share BSE index rose 77.49 points, or 0.22 per cent, at 33,833.77. The Nifty too went up by 23.40 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 10,463.70.All sectoral indices flashed green, rising by up to 0.85 per cent.The Sensex had lost 80 points in the past two sessions.Hunt for bargains in recent losers and a higher trend in Asian markets following overnight gains on Wall Street in the wake of upbeat US economic data triggered fresh spell of buying, traders said.

Big gainers were L&T, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, ONGC, M&M and Adani Ports, surging up to 0.97 per cent.Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.30 per cent and Shanghai Composite rose 0.05 per cent in early session today. Japan's Nikkei, however, shed 0.03 per cent.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.23 per cent higher yesterday.