Sensex rises by 68 points, Nifty gains 11

At 11.50 am on Monday, Sensex stood at 40,861.98 points, gaining 68.17 (0.17 per cent), while Nifty clocked in 12,067.10 points, gaining 11.05 (0.092 per cent).

MSCI's index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.46 per cent after investors clung to hopes Beijing and Washington could reach a compromise in trade talks despite concerns of US support to the Honk Kong protests.

Investors at home seemed to have priced in the flagging economic growth, which slowed to 4.5 per cent for the July-September period.

Telecom stocks led gains among sectors as all three major operators in the country announced price hikes over the weekend after a court ruling forced them to cough up nearly $13 billion in dues and levies.

Bharti Airtel rose 8.03 per cent, Vodafone Idea jumped 16.06 per cent and Reliance Jio owner Reliance Industries advanced 3.57 per cent.

Vodafone was the biggest gainer among all stocks listed on the NSE, while Airtel gained most on the Nifty.

Among losers, Oil and Natural Gas Corp dropped 2.54 per cent and was the biggest drag on the indexes.

(With inputs from agencies)