Markets Close Firm in Green

The benchmark indices ended the December derivatives series and the penultimate day of the year on an optimistic note, due to the firm Asian markets and long rollovers on F&O expiry day. Cementing the strong 200 gains of the previous session, the Sensex rallied another 133 points at 20,389 and the Nifty ended above the 6100 mark at 6101, up 41 points. The mid cap index ended at 7714, higher by 56 points and the small cap index ended at 9552, up 41 points. There was green across Asia, with the Hang Seng, Taiwan, Seoul and Straits Times gaining upto half a percent each. The Japanese index, however, ended down around a percent as a stronger yen knocked the shares of major exporters. But the European indices, including the FTSE, CAC and DAX, have reversed their early gains and are trading marginally lower in mid-day trades. The US stocks had advanced in thin trade overnight, lifted by investor optimism about the economy in 2011; the Dow was up 10 points at 11,586 and Nasdaq was up four points at 2,666. And pre-market trading in Dow futures suggests a mildly positive opening on Wall Street.