MW: Indian shares up in early trading to start 2009 with gains
Indian shares advanced Thursday on the first trading day of 2009, paced by ICICI Bankafter the lender cut its lending and deposit rates by at least half a percentage point. The benchmark Sensitive Index, or Sensex, rose 0.9% to 9,729.82 in early trading, after losing more than 52% of its value in 2008 and in the wake of an overnight advance on Wall Street. Most other majors markets were closed for a holiday, including in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Bangkok.
