Mumbai, Apr 22 (IANS): A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets advanced 80 points Monday, on the back of good buying support in banking, consumer durables and capital goods stocks.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened in the negative at 18,989.78 points, was trading at 19,096.41 points in late morning session, up 0.42 percent or 79.95 points from its previous day close at 19,016.46 points.

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) was trading 0.56 percent or 32.40 points up at 5,815.50 points.

There was good buying support in consumer durables, banking, capital goods and metal stocks.

The BSE consumer durables index was up 3.18 percent. The banking index was trading 1.80 percent higher, capital goods index was up 1.49 percent and metal index was up 1.23 percent.

Coal India jumped 4.06 percent at Rs.311.40. HDFC Bank, up 3.28 percent at Rs.696.80; L&T, up 2.11 percent at Rs.1503.85; Hero MotoCorp, up 1.75 percent at Rs.1,529.00; and Tata Steel, up 1.65 percent at Rs.304.90 were among the major Sensex gainers.

Wipro tumbled almost 10 percent on disappointing sales forecast. Wipro was trading 8.45 percent down at Rs.337.50 in late morning session.

Other major Sensex losers were: Mahindra & Mahindra, down 2.09 percent at Rs.883.65; Infosys, down 2.05 percent at Rs.2,248.40; ONGC, down 1.81 percent at Rs.328.50; and Dr Reddy's Lab, down 1.56 percent at Rs.1875.