Sensex Index Climbs to 2 1/2-Year High on GDP Outlook; Hindalco Advances

Sep 6, 2010(Bloomberg)--India's benchmark stock index rose to its highest in 2 1/2 years after better-than-estimated growth in U.S. employment and manufacturing eased concern the global economy will falter, boosting the outlook for domestic companies.

Hindalco Industries Ltd., an aluminum producer that gets most of its sales in North America and Europe, climbed the most in two-months after Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla outlined plans to spend 100 billion rupees ($2.14 million) on projects this year. Infosys Techologies Ltd., a software exporter that gets two thirds of its sales in the U.S., gained 2 percent.

The Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensitive Index, or Sensex, gained 338.62, or 1.9 percent, to 18,560.05, its highest close since February 2008. The S&P CNX Nifty Index on the National Stock Exchange increased 1.8 percent to 5,576.95. The BSE 200 Index advanced 1.6 percent to 2,384.35.

"There's comfort coming back into the system after the U.S. employment data," said K.K. Mital, who manages the equivalent of about $10.7 million as a New Delhi-based fund manager at Globe Capital Market Ltd. "That could lead to higher consumption and investment in equities."

Hindalco, which gets 76 percent of its sales abroad, added 5 percent to 178.95 rupees, the most since June 21. The company's ventures in India's Jharkhand and Orissa states are on schedule, Birla said at the company's annual general meeting on Sept. 3, when he also outlined capital expenditure for the year through March.

Price Increase

Tata Steel Ltd., the nation's biggest producer of the alloy, climbed 6.4 percent to 575.7 rupees, its highest close since May 12. Prabhat Sharma, a spokesman, said September flat-product prices have been raised by as much as 4 percent.

Infosys gained 2 percent to 2,831.65 rupees. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., India's largest software-services exporter, increased 2.2 percent to 855.35 rupees.

Companies in the U.S. added more jobs than forecast in August and the Institute for Supply Management's factory index unexpectedly increased, the Sept. 3 reports showed.

Overseas funds bought a net 1.48 billion rupees ($31.6 million) of Indian equities on Sept. 2, raising total investments in the stocks this year to 606 billion rupees, according to the nation's market regulator.

Inflows from overseas reached a record 834.2 billion rupees in 2009, exceeding the high set two years ago in local currency terms, as the biggest advance in 18 years lured foreign funds. They sold a record 529.9 billion rupees of shares in 2008, triggering a record annual decline.