Sensex soars in afternoon trade, up 401 points (Second Lead)

MUMBAI - A key index of the Indian equities markets surged in the afternoon trade Monday to go past the 15,000-mark. It was ruling 401 points up about an hour before the closing bell.

Around 2.34 p.m., the 30-scrip benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Sensex, which opened higher at 14,854.17 points, was at 15,146.57 points - 401.65 points or 2.72 percent higher than Friday’s closing figure.

Around the same time, the S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too was ruling in the green, 2.41 percent up at 4,480.6 points.

Broader market indices were doing better with the BSE midcap index trading 2.02 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index moving up 2.14 percent.