Nifty exited at first target

Equities held on to their late gains, with both the Sensex and Nifty closing above key 28,000 and 8,400 marks. At close, the Nifty rose 0.22 percent, or 19 points, to 8,401 while the Sensex gained 0.12 percent, or 34 points, to 28,067. Early in the day, high beta shares edged lower, but several sectors such as banks and oil & gas staged a smart recovery to close in the green. Metals and capital goods, though, closed 0.8 percent lower.