Markets end off highs; Sensex up 445 points

Market ended higher but off day's highs as investors booked profits. Banks, capital goods and power stocks were the top performers.

After trading within a narrow range for a larger part of the day, the markets pared some of their gains in the final trading hour on account of profit booking in index heavy weights. BPCL was the only stock on the NSE Nifty that failed to garner investors’ interest. As regards global markets, while the Asian indices closed on a firm note, the European indices are also trading higher currently.

The BSE Sensex closed almost 440 points higher, while the NSE Nifty closed higher by 130 points. The BSE Midcap and the Smallcap indices also closed in the positive, each up 1%. The rupee was trading at 44.61 to the dollar.