Mumbai, Jan 11 (IANS): Trading was volatile in Indian equities markets Tuesday with a key benchmark index ruling in a tight range though 98 points higher.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) opened at 19,279.77 points and was ruling at 19,322.9 points, up 98.78 points or 0.51 percent from its previous close at 19,224.12 points.

It had moved up to 19,431.56 soon after the opening bell and touched an intra-day low of 19,198.14 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was at 5,799.45 points, a gain of 0.64 percent.

Broader market indices were sluggish, with the BSE madcap index ruling flat and the BSE small cap index ruling 0.13 percent up.

Banking, metal and PSU stocks were in the positive, while realty, IT and telecom stocks saw selling.

The market breadth was mixed, with 1,392 stocks advancing compared to 1,317 scrips on the decline, while 112 stocks remained unchanged.

Among the major gainers on the Sensex were Hindalco Industries, Bajaj Auto, RCom and SBI, while prominent losers included Infosys, TCS, DLF and Maruti Suzuki.

Asian stock markets nudged higher, although traders were largely cautious after the flat overnight closing on Wall Street and ahead of quarterly corporate results.

The Chinese Shanghai Composite index moved up 0.44 percent at 2,804.05 points, while the Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1.11 percent higher at 23,787.63 points.

However, the Japanese Nikkei closed with moderate losses of 0.29 percent at 10,510.68 points.