Mumbai: Under the leadership of Information Technology (IT) segment, share prices resumed sharply higher with the Sensex crossing 5,100-mark at opening session on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) today (Dec 1, 2003) on sustained buying by foreign institutional investors as well as operators.

The BSE-30 share sensitive index opened firm at 5,086.86 as against last Friday's (Nov 28) close of 5,044.82 and moved up further to a high of 5,120.62 before being quoted at 5,111.35 at 11.00 hrs (IST).

Software stocks were at the forefront with Digital Globalsoft leading the pack on the news that Hewlett- Packard would buy out the 49.4 per cent public stake in Digital Globalsoft at an offer price of Rs 750 per share.

Besides software counters, Index-based shares like BHEL, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, GACL, Grasim, HDFC Bank, HLL, Hindalco, HPCL, ICICI Bank, ITC, Ranbaxy, RIL, Tata Motors and Tisco were quoted remarkably higher and aided the Sensex rise.

Among major gainers, Digital Globalsoft was quoted higher by 11.49 per cent, HMT by 7.69 per cent, FACT by 6.21 per cent, Visual Soft by 5.36 per cent, HCL Tech by 5.21 per cent, Infotech Ent by 4.88 per cent, Hind Ink by 4.27 per cent, Mphasis BFL by 4.21 per cent, NIIT by 4.16 per cent and Syndicate Bank by 4.10 per cent.

However, Bongaigon Ref, Dena Bank, Bharti Tele, McDowell and India Hotel showed moderate falls.

PTI