Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, extended their gains for the second consecutive day, closing in positive territory today. The markets opened on an upbeat note and reached new all-time highs during intraday trading, marking a milestone after 14 months. The Sensex hit a record high of 86,056, while the Nifty touched 26,310 mark.

 

However, the indices experienced a brief pullback into negative zone during the day, reflecting some mid-session volatility for some time but rebounded in the last hour of trade. The Sensex advanced 111 points, to close at 85 thousand 720, while the Nifty added 10 points, to settle at 26 thousand 216. The broader market indices at the Bombay Stock Exchange closed in negative territory. The Mid-Cap index remained on a flat note with negative bias, while the Small-Cap index fell almost 0.4 per cent.

 

In the Sensex pack, 15 out of 30 companies edged upward. In the top gainers, Bajaj Finance surged around 2.3 per cent, ICICI Bank rose over 1.2 per cent and Bajaj Finserv added 1.1 per cent. Among the top laggards, Maruti shed over 1.4 per cent, Eternal fell more than 1.3 per cent and Ultratech Cement lost over 1.1 per cent. 

 

Across sectoral indices at the BSE, 16 out of 21 sectors ended with losses. Among the key decliners, Oil and Gas slipped over 0.8 per cent, Realty dipped almost 0.8 per cent and Energy decreased over half a per cent. Among the top gainers, Financial Services dipped 0.3 per cent, Focused IT rose over 0.2 per cent, and IT added 0.2 per cent.  

 

The overall market breadth at the BSE was negative, as shares of 2,159 companies declined, 1,989 advanced, and 179 remained unchanged.