Equity indices marched higher for the third session on the trot on Thursday, propelled by Reliance Industries and financial stocks, amid a positive trend in global markets on prospects of a Brexit trade deal.
A sharp jump in the rupee and persistent foreign fund inflows added to the momentum here, traders said.
The 30-share BSE Sensex surged 529.36 points or 1.14 per cent to close at 46,973.54. The broader NSE Nifty zoomed 148.15 points or 1.09 per cent to 13,749.25.
Axis Bank topped the Sensex gainers’ chart, spurting 3.04 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, ONGC, Reliance Industries (RIL), HDFC, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance and Kotak Bank.
Index heavyweights RIL, HDFC and HDFC Bank accounted for over half of the Sensex’s gains. On the other hand, Infosys, Nestle India, IndusInd Bank, Dr Reddy’s, HCL Tech and Bajaj Finserv were among the main laggards, dropping up to 1.32 per cent. During the holiday-truncated week, Sensex inched up 12.85 points or 0.02 per cent, while Nifty slipped 11.30 points or 0.08 per cent. Markets will be closed on Friday on account of Christmas. Global equities extended gains as Britain and European Union neared a Brexit deal ahead of the Christmas weekend, cheering participants.