Rising for the second straight day, the BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 157 points on Thursday amid expiry of December series derivatives contracts and positive global cues. After rallying close to 400 points earlier in the session, the 30-share index pared some gains but finished 157.34 points, or 0.44%, higher at 35,807.28. The broader NSE Nifty rose 49.95 points, or 0.47%, to 10,779.80.
The biggest gainers in the Sensex pack were Reliance Industries, Infosys, NTPC, ONGC, HUL, PowerGrid, Asian Paints, ITC and HCL Tech, rising up to 2.10%. On the other hand, Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Maruti Suzuki fell up to 1.71%.
Global sentiment improved as tensions between the White House and US Fed eased. Strong consumer spending data in the US also added to the momentum, said Hemang Jani, head advisory, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.
With two more trading days to go until the end of the year, liquidity and sentiment are set to drive market in short term, he added.
Banking stocks fell amid reports that the government was likely to infuse Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds by the end of this month.
The rupee, meanwhile, weakened against the US dollar, and was trading at 70.28 a dollar, down 0.27% from its previous close. Brent crude futures dropped 3.78% to USD 53.20 per barrel. On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 80.28 crore on Wednesday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net sellers to the tune of Rs 137.63 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei surged 3.88% and Korea’s Kospi ended 0.02% higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.67% and Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.61%. In Europe, Paris CAC rose 0.15%, while Frankfurt’s DAX fell 1.41%. London’s FTSE fell 0.63%.