India's Sensex edges higher after falling most in six weeks

India shares recovered some of the lost ground on Wednesday, a day after the indexes posted their biggest single-day percentage six weeks on surging crude oil prices.

india trader
Reuters

India shares recovered some of the lost ground on Wednesday, a day after the indexes posted their biggest single-day percentage six weeks on surging crude oil prices.

Investors fretted that expensive oil would increase inflationary pressures and lower the chances of the Reserve Bank of India cutting interest rates in its December monetary policy review.

Meanwhile, Asian shares paused at decade peaks amid concerns Republican plans for major U.S. tax cuts were running into headwinds even before the Senate releases its own version of the proposals, Reuters reported.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.05 percent having hit its highest since November 2007 on Tuesday.

At 0600 GMT, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.2 percent at 33,438 while the broader NSE Nifty gained 0.16 percent to 10,366.

Among the top Sensex losers, Bharati Airtel was down 4 percent, State Bank of India lost 0.8 percent, Reliance Industries fell 1.4 percent while State Bank of India shed 0.7 percent.

Indian Overseas Bank fell 3 percent after the lender reported loss for the ninth consecutive quarter.

Finolex Cables lost 7 percent after the company reported a 5 percent drop in net profit in September quarter.

Gainers included Ujjivan Financial Services, which rose 2 percent after a block deal.

Cipla advanced 3 percent after the drugmaker reported a 17.7 percent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit in the September quarter.

Market breadth was in the favour of gainers, with about 2 stocks advancing to every 1 stock that declined.

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