BSE benchmark rose for the second straight day with Sensex rising 178.35 points to end at 28,533.97 and the Nifty index reclaiming the 8,600-mark powered by a rebound in bluechips amid hopes of faster reforms and optimism over the upcoming Budget.After surging to 28,618.91 points on value-buying, the Sensex slipped partially to end at 28,533.97, logging a net gain of 178.35 points, or 0.63 per cent. Intra-day, it hit day’s low of 28,424.39. Yesterday, the index snapped a seven-day downtrend by rising 128.23 points.
Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty recaptured the crucial 8,600-mark by rising 61.85 points, or 0.72 per cent, to close at 8,627.40. It moved between 8,593.65 and 8,651.95 intra-day. Good buying was seen in midcap and smallcap shares too. The BSE Midcap index was up 1.55 per cent and the Smallcap index rose 1.47 per cent. Sentiments were buoyed largely on increased buying by participants on optimism over forthcoming Budget that may propose growth boosting measures with focus on more spending on infrastructure sector, equity brokers said.