Sensex up 145 points, markets to track IIP data

The benchmark Sensex recovered over 145 points in the early session on Friday on mild buying in select stocks ahead of IIP data due later in the day even as Asian cues remained mixed. 

Also, the NSE Nifty was trading above the crucial 7,500-mark.

The 30-share index was 145.01 points or 0.59% higher at 24,768.35, with sectoral indices led by realty, oil and gas and infrastructure staying in the positive zone. The gauge had fallen 170.62 points in Thursday's trade, its first fall in seven sessions.

The NSE Nifty-50 index regained the 7,500-mark by rising 13.95 points, or 0.18%, to 7,500.10.

Realty stocks hogged the limelight after the Rajya Sabha passed the real estate Bill aimed at providing the much-needed relief to home buyers.

DLF surged 4.01% while Unitech climbed 3.05% and Sobha Developers 2.47%.

The government, on its part, turbo-charged its reforms push on Friday after it announced a series of measures to unshackle the oil and gas sector and tweaked the mining law to facilitate acquisitions. 

Stock brokers said widening of bets by cautious investors ahead of key economic data -- industrial production (IIP) for January -- to be released later in the day and a mixed trend at other Asian markets after the European Central Bank's just-announced aggressive stimulus steps influenced mood.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.51% while Japan's Nikkei shed 0.87% in early trade today. China's main Shanghai Composite fell 0.59%.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.03% lower in the previous trading session.