UPDATE AT 1 1AM ON OCTOBER 1, 2008

Key benchmark indices slipped in the red after firm start

as indexheavyweight Reliance Industries and banking pivotals

dropped. TheBSE 30-share Sensex was down 36.12 points. IT

pivotals gained asthe rupee dropped to a fresh five-year low

against the dollar.Larsen & Toubro turned 1:1 ex-bonus from

today. The market breadthwas positive on BSE. Asian markets

were trading mixed today, 1 October 2008. Japan'sNikkei and

Taiwan's Taiwan Weighted Average rose between 0.82% to1.07%.

However, South Korea's Seoul Composite was down 0.35%.Stocks

markets in China, Hong Kong and Singapore were closed today,1

October 2008 for various holidays. At 10:21 IST, the BSE 30-share

Sensex was down 36.12 points or0.23% to 12,831.31. The index shed

70.58 points at the day's low of12,789.85, hit in early trade.

Renewed hopes of the US Senateapproving a $700 billion bank bailout

package to rescue the economytriggered a firm start. The Sensex rose

148.04 points at day's highof 13,008.47, in early trade. The S&P CNX

Nifty was down 30.45 points or 0.78% to 3,890.75. The BSE Mid-Cap

index was up 0.02% at 4,799.20 and the BSESmall-Cap index was up

0.43% at 5,601.55.