Sensex gains 53 points in early trade

The 30-share barometer rose by 53.50 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 19,977.28 with stocks of auto, IT, healthcare and capital goods sectors leading the recovery.

The index had lost 102.83 points yesterday.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index, Nifty, moved up by 8.60 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 6,027.95.

Brokers said the trading sentiment turned slightly better on selective buying by funds and retail investors, taking positive cues from Asian markets, following overnight gains in the US market on the back of an improvement of the weekly jobless claims data.

In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.11 per cent, while the Japan's Nikkei by 2.35 per cent in early trade.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended 0.33 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

Stocks to watch-Jan 25

(Reuters):GLOBAL MARKETS ROUND UP

Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange rose 0.04 percent. The MSCI-Asia Pacific index, excluding Japan was down 0.56 per cent.

Falls in South Korean shares on disappointing earnings pulled broader Asian shares lower on Friday, but the region's many other bourses were up following solid global economic data.

The smallest of gains gave the Standard & Poor's 500 its seventh straight winning day on Thursday, but the index failed to hold above the 1,500 line, restrained by Apple's worst day in more than four

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