Markets End in Green

 The markets shrugged off the surging oil prices and lacklustre global indices to sign off the week on as positive note. The Sensex ended at 20073, higher by 90 points and the Nifty ended at 6011, up 31 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. On the global 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.