BENGALURU, Nov 23 Reuters Indian bluechip indexes advanced on Thursday, after fresh U.S. data signalled a cooling economy, adding to optimism over the interest rate outlook, while a fall in oil prices also supported.

The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.13 to 19,836.80 points and the SP BSE Sensex was also up 0.13 at 66,109.70, as of 952 a.m. IST.

Barring pharma, which eased 0.65 after a sixsession rally, all the other dozen major sectors logged gains.

Bajaj Auto jumped 2.5 and was the top Nifty 50 gainer. Morgan Stanley reiterated overweight on the auto maker, citing robust sales and ramping up of production and distribution.

Hero MotoCorp and Eicher Motors also gained about 2 each.

The more domestically focussed smallcaps shrugged off the underperformance over the Nifty 50 in the previous session, adding 0.85, while midcaps mirrored the benchmark.

Though there are some stocks which have seen speculative rallies, there is still plenty of value in several segments in small and midcap space, AK Prabhakar, head of research at IDBI Capital, said.

The outlook for Indian markets remains positive, driven by gradual rise in retail participation and strong macroeconomic fundamentals, Prabhakar added.

Brent crude fell to near 81 per barrel after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC and allies including Russia delayed a ministerial meeting to Nov. 30 from Nov. 26, where they were expected to discuss oil output cuts.

A fall in crude oil prices is positive…