Indian shares closed slightly higher on Thursday after posting their worst fall in nearly seven weeks in the previous session, as continued heavy buying by foreign investors helped lift blue chips such as ITC Ltd even though overall sentiment remained cautious.

 

The broader NSE Nifty closed up 0.2 percent at 8,592.15, after falling as much as 0.41 percent earlier in the day.

 

The benchmark BSE Sensex ended 0.31 percent higher at 27,859.60, after declining as much as 0.28 percent earlier in the session.

 

Shares of cigarette maker ITC rose 2.1 percent after falling 2.4 percent in the previous three sessions, while Reliance Industries gained 1 percent after closing 2.6 percent lower on Wednesday.

 

In the 50-share index, Bank of Baroda, Grasim Industries, Zee Entertainment, Bharti Infratel and Hindalco slipped between 2.15 per cent and 9.24 per cent. On the other hand, Eicher Motors, Idea Cellular, BPCL, Lupin and ITC gained between 2.02 per cent and 2.82 per cent.