MUMBAI: Benchmarks were flat-to-positive on Tuesday after hitting 52-week highs in previous session. However some buying activity was seen broader markets.

“Markets in the US and Europe posted gains, with the Dow hitting a new 18-month high. Concerns over sovereign default have ebbed with Greece securing EU commitment on financial aid and Dubai getting a fresh bailout.

“FII inflows have held up pretty strong post the Union Budget. Monday was no exception. Local funds though have been a bit more cautious. Among the key concerns since Budget has been the tepid show put up by the broader market. The same was on display on Monday as well. This does stick out like a sore thumb and calls for some caution. With NAV dressing done with for the year, we see a flat to sedate start and less upside given the mixed trend across Asia,” said India Infoline report.

At 10:30 am, Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was at 17756.45, up 45.10 points or 0.25 per cent. The index touched a high of 17783.35 and low of 17703.67.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty was at 5313.85, up 11 points or 0.21 per cent. The broader index hit a high of 5325 and low of 5302.95.

“On the daily chart, the momentum oscillators are in the over bought zone and showing no sign of weakness. On the upside if indices trade above 17793 / 5329 levels then they are likely to test 17850 -17940 / 5350 – 5380 levels. On the downside 17632 – 17584 / 5274 - 5259 levels may act as support for the day,” said Angel Broking note.

BSE Midcap Index was up 0.66 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index moved 1.19 per cent up.

Amongst the sectoral indices, BSE Realty Index was up 1.97 per cent, BSE Auto Index advanced 1.23 per cent and BSE Metal Index gained 1.03 per cent. BSE IT Index was down 1.34 per cent.

DLF (2.62%), Mahindra & Mahindra (2.13%), Sterlite Industries (1.72%), ACC (1.58%) and Tata Motors (1.47%) were amongst the top Sensex gainers.

Infosys Technologies (-1.70%), TCS (-1.23%), HDFC Bank (-1.07%), Sun Pharma (-0.89%) and Wipro (-0.88%) resisted the upmove.

Market breadth was positive on the BSE with 1707 advances and 671 declines.

US stocks rose on Monday as miners and energy companies advanced on dollar weakness and investors bought recent high fliers as the quarter's end approached. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 45.50 points, or 0.42 percent, to 10,895.86, its highest close since September 2008. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 6.63 points, or 0.57 percent, to 1,173.22. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 9.23 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,404.36.

Asian stocks were also on the rise Tuesday on the back of increased US spending and consumer confidence in Europe. The Nikkei climbed 0.70 per cent, Hang Seng advanced 0.60 per cent and Seoul Composite inched 0.39 per cent higher.