Equity benchmark indices hit fresh peaks; Sensex breaches 67,000-mark in intra-day trade

The bull statue at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building, in Mumbai. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty continued their record-breaking rally on Tuesday, reaching new all-time high closing levels, amid fresh foreign fund inflows and a positive trend in the U.S. and European markets.

Robust buying in IT major Infosys also contributed to the domestic benchmark indices optimism.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 205.21 points or 0.31% to settle at its new all-time closing high of 66,795.14. During the day, it jumped 417.09 points or 0.62% to reach its record intra-day peak of 67,007.02. The benchmark breached the 67,000-mark for the first time ever in intra-day trade.

The NSE Nifty gained 37.80 points or 0.19% to end at its all-time closing high of 19,749.25. During the day, the benchmark rallied 108 points or 0.54% to hit its lifetime peak of 19,819.45.

From the Sensex pack, Infosys jumped the most by 3.67%. Asian Paints, HCL Technologies, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, Wipro, NTPC, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv and Larsen & Toubro were among the other major gainers.

State Bank of India, Bajaj Finance, Titan, Tata Steel, Tata Motors and UltraTech Cement were among the laggards.

“The bulls continued to lift the market to new heights, but volatility emerged in the second half due to concerns over valuation. Rapid fall in the dollar index and a slide in the U.S. 10-year yield are supporting liquidity in emerging markets. While disappointing economic growth in China and improvement in the U.S. market outlook are drawing attention to the Indian market,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said.

In Asian markets, Tokyo settled in the green, while Seoul and Shanghai ended lower.

Equity markets in Europe were trading mostly in the green. The U.S. markets ended in the positive territory on Monday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.31% to $78.74 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued their buying activity as they bought equities worth ₹73 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.