Mumbai:Equity benchmark indices began the trade on a positive note on Tuesday and were trading higher helped by buying in HDFC twins and mixed trends in Asian markets. The BSE Sensex advanced 159.54 points to 60,851.08 after a firm beginning. The NSE Nifty gained 61.25 points to 17,905.85. From the Sensex pack, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC and HDFC Bank were the major winners.
Axis Bank, Titan, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major laggards. In Asian markets, South Korea and China were trading in the green, while Hong Kong and Japan quoted lower. The US markets were shut on Monday for 'Presidents Day'. "Local equities may eke out small gains in early Tuesday trade, but the trading session could be more or less range-bound due to absence of cues from the US markets, which was closed on Monday on account of Presidents Day.