Driven by fall in crude prices and the recovery in rupee by 55 paise, the BSE Sensex on Friday posted its biggest single-day gain in 19 months, soaring over 700 points, as global markets rebounded after two straight sessions of losses.
The rupee strengthened 53 paise to 73.59 (intra-day) against the US dollar in the forex market. This is its biggest gain since September 19, when it had jumped 61 paise.
Both indices ended the week higher for the first time in six weeks. During the period the Sensex climbed 366.59 points and Nifty rose 156.05 points.
After opening on strong footing, the Sensex advanced to hit a high of 34,808.42 on buying momentum after retail investors returned to the market. It later gave up some of the gains, but still ended notably higher by 732.43 points, or 2.15 per cent, at 34,733.58.