5:00 PM Mumbai – Stocks in Mumbai gained for a sixth trading day and the index is up 21% in the last four months. India starts reporting inflation series from August. Rupee strengthens for a fourth day in a row. Wind power maker, Suzlon plans expansion in China.

Indian stocks rose for the sixth straight trading day extending its 30-month high reached a few days earlier.

The Sensex added 0.7% or 138.63 to 19,346.96 for its highest closing after January 17, 2008, with two-thirds of its components increasing. The CNX Nifty Index on the NSE advanced 0.5% to close at 5,795.80.

India’s benchmark wholesale price index rose 8.5% in August from a year earlier after rising 9.8% in July, calculated using a new base fiscal year 2004, the Commerce Ministry said in New Delhi today.

Consumer items widely used by middle class like ice-cream, mineral water, microwave ovens, washing machines, gold and silver will be reflected in the new series of WPI inflation to be released today.

The new series of Wholesale Price Index for August will have additional 241 items and change the base year from 1993-94 to 2004-05, a senior Commerce & Industry official said in New Delhi on Monday.

With these items the WPI will measure a total of 676 items against the existing 435, to give a better picture of the price variation.

Suzlon Energy Ltd, India’s biggest maker of wind turbines, plans to expand capacity in China as that market remains the world’s largest.

The China plant will be able to manufacture turbines with a combined generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts each year by 2013, Chairman Tulsi Tanti said in an interview in Tianjin Monday.

S. Kumar’s Nationwide Ltd plans to raise as much as $50 million in a share sale to large investors according to its sale document. The shares will be priced at Rs 79.99 at the least according to the sale document.

Antique Capital Markets Pvt Ltd, JP Morgan India Pvt Ltd, and Edelweiss Capital Ltd will be managing the issue.

Indian rupee strengthened for a fourth day in a row after overseas investors increased their holdings of stocks and bonds to record levels. The rupee increased 0.2% to 46.325 to a dollar.

Gainers & Losers

Arihant Capital Markets Limited increased 1% to Rs 258.45 after the financial services company fixed September 24 as the record date for a 2-for-1 stock-split and 3:5 bonus issue.

ABB Limited rose 0.7% to Rs 789.55 after the board approved acquisition of Bangalore based Metsys Engineering and Consultancy for about Rs 8.50 crore.

Bengal Tea & Fabrics Limited declined 1.6% to Rs 64.00 after fire broke out at the spinning section of the company''s textile unit on September 12.

DQ Entertainment (International) increased 2.2% to Rs 105.35 after the company signed a home video distribution agreement for its 3D animated series ''Iron Man-Armored adventures season 1'', with Thailand-based TIGA Entertainment Co.

First Leasing Company slipped 4.2% to Rs 74.70 after turning ex-dividend for dividend of Rs 1.80 per share for the year ended March.

Godawari Power and Ispat Limited fell 0.8% to Rs 219.95 after the steel intermediate products maker turned ex-dividend of Rs 2.50 per share for the year ended March.

Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited plunged 3.9% to Rs 121.70 after turning ex-dividend of Rs 3 per share for the year ended March.