The prices of 172 stocks hit new 52-week highs on the Bombay Stock Exchange, bringing the total number of stocks hitting fresh 52-week price highs in the first three days of the current month to 240.

The list of stocks at new price highs includes 15 in the Sensex basket. And as many as 62 scrips, including six Sensex stocks, hit their all-time price highs.

Bajaj Auto hit an all-time high of Rs 861, BSES of Rs 411, Reliance Industries of Rs 459.85, Tata Steel of Rs 292.90, SBI of Rs 466 and HDFC of Rs 550.90.

Among other stocks, Ashok Leyland (Rs 224), Sterlite Industries (Rs 675) and GE Shipping (Rs 86.70), too, touched their all-time highs.

As a result of the rise in prices of index heavyweights ITC, Reliance Industries and the State Bank of India, the Sensex closed 78.47 points higher at a 37-month high of 4,631.39. The National Stock Exchange's S&P CNX Nifty closed at a 39-month high of 1,478.90.

In the NSE's futures and options segment, Nifty futures traded at a premium to the cash price. October Nifty futures rose 2.69 per cent to settle at 1486.20, 7.30 points higher than the underlying index.

In Nifty options, the top traded option was the Nifty October call at 1470.

The ITC scrip gained 3.86 per cent to close at Rs 840.20, Reliance Industries was up 2.12 per cent to close at Rs 458.10, State Bank of India was up 2.01 per cent at Rs 464.80 and Hindustan Lever was up 0.52 per cent at Rs 191.60.

Public sector undertakings were in the limelight following the government's moves to get on with its divestment programme.

The Balmer Lawrie scrip was 13.13 per cent higher at close, to Rs 112.85, while Engineers India was up 11.37 per cent to close at Rs 381.45. Indian Oil was up 3.24 per cent to close at Rs 398.54. BPCL was up 5 per cent to close at Rs 382.50.

But the HPCL stock was down 2.22 per cent to close at Rs 352.20, with traded volumes of more than 1.9 million shares.

Tech stocks saw selective action. The HCL Tech scrip was up 4.15 per cent to close at Rs 185.60. Infosys Tech was up 0.15 per cent to Rs 4,560.95 and Satyam Computer was up 0.04 per cent to Rs 257.95.

Foreign institutional investors continued to remain buyers on the bourses, pumping in Rs 122.10 crore (Rs 1.22 billion) on Wednesday, 1 October 2003, compared to Rs 256.10 crore (Rs 2.56 billion) on Tuesday (30 September).

Hero Honda Motors was up 2.41 per cent to close at Rs 331.95 and Bajaj Auto was up 2.38 per cent to close at Rs 857.95.

Reliance Energy was up 6.95 per cent to close at Rs 408.65 and Bhel was up 4.06 per cent to close at Rs 420.30.

In the cement sector, pivotal L&T was up 2.65 per cent to close at Rs 348.85, Grasim gained 2.61 per cent to close at Rs 680.05, ACC 1.98 per cent to Rs 210.85 and Gujarat Ambuja Cements was up 0.30 per cent to close at Rs 233.25.

Elsewhere, old economy pivotal HDFC was up 5.35 per cent to Rs 549.70; Tata Steel was up 3.58 per cent to Rs 291.85; Castrol India was up 2.98 per cent to Rs 195.40; ICICI Bank was up 1.17 per cent to Rs 212; Hindalco was up 0.86 per cent to Rs 984.50.