Markets rally for 2nd straight session as Sensex jumps 874 points lead by Reliance Industries

Mumbai: The BSE Sensex defied gravity for the second session in a row on Thursday as market majors Reliance Industries, Infosys and HDFC twins continued to attract investor attention amid a sustained uptick in world markets.

Value-buying persisted in bluechips as well as select mid- and small-cap counters after their recent spell of weakness, traders said.

The 30-share BSE benchmark zoomed 874.18 points or 1.53 per cent to finish at 57,911.68. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rallied 256.05 points or 1.49 per cent to 17,392.60.

M&M was the top gainer among the Sensex constituents, climbing 3.50 per cent, followed by Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finserv, Asian Paints, Reliance Industries, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC and TCS.

Only three stocks posted losses -- Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel and Nestle India, dipping up to 0.88 per cent.

In the broader market, the BSE smallcap gauge jumped 1.33 per cent while the midcap index gained 1.28 per cent.

As many as 2,303 stocks advanced, while 1,115 declined and 103 remained unchanged.

Among BSE sectoral indices, auto jumped the most by 2.14 per cent, followed by consumer discretionary goods and services (1.60 per cent), finance (1.54 per cent), industrials (1.45 per cent) and IT (1.45 per cent). Metal index was the only laggard.

International oil benchmark Brent crude gained 1.40 per cent to $108.3 per barrel.

The rupee appreciated by 13 paise to close at 76.17 against the US dollar amid a weak greenback overseas.