Sensex closed above the 60,000-mark for the first time today, led by gains in information technology (IT) and realty stocks. While Sensex ended 163 points higher at 60,048, Nifty closed at its record peak of 17,853, climbing 30 points against the previous close.
Earlier, the 30-stock index crossed the historic 60K mark in opening trade.
During the day, Sensex touched an all-time high of 60,333 and Nifty reached an all-time peak of 17,947.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms closed at Rs 261.17 lakh crore.
Asian Paints was the top Sensex gainer, rising 3.76% per cent, followed by gains in M&M, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel and Maruti.
Tata Steel, SBI, Axis Bank, ITC and HUL were the top Sensex losers, falling up to 3.60%.
Of 30 Sensex shares, 13 ended higher.
BSE midcap and small cap indices slipped 294 points and 85 points, respectively.
Mohit Nigam, Head – PMS, Hem Securities said, “After Accenture’s robust results for August quarter, we believe Indian IT companies’ Bull Run can extend further in the coming time. Markets have sustained above 17,850 levels and we expect this momentum to continue which may lead Nifty50 to 18,000 level in the near term.
17,650 may act as an immediate support for Nifty 50. We believe that market trajectory continues to be positive and any significant dip should be utilised to invest in quality stocks for good returns.”
On the sectoral front, IT shares led the gains buoyed by Accenture’s strong Q4 earnings. BSE IT index ended 302 points higher at 36,079 and Nifty IT index closed 286 points higher at 37,103.
Read more: IT stocks on a roll! Here’s what brokerages say
BSE realty index closed 66 points higher at 4,002.
On the other hand, metal shares were the top losers with the BSE metal index ending 466 points lower at 40,776.
Consumer durables and healthcare shares also led to losses with their indices slipping 326 points and 370 points, respectively.
Market breadth was negative with 1,333 shares ending higher against 1,934 shares closing in the red. Total 155 shares were unchanged.
Global markets
Global stocks fell as worries over troubled Chinese real estate developer Evergrande and the pandemic weighed on sentiment.
France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.9% in early trading to 6,641.43, while Germany’s DAX shed 0.7% to 15,531.38. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged down 0.3% to 7,059.54.
US shares were set to drift lower with the Dow future down 0.3% to 34,558.00. The S&P 500 future lost 0.3% to 4,423.25.
In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 609 points to 30,248.81. South Korea’s Kospi edged down nearly 0.1% to 3,125.24.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.4% to 7,342.60. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined 1.3% to 24,192.16, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.8% to 3,613.07.