Bull run: Bourses hit fresh lifetime highs, Sensex gains over 371 points

Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty advanced further to settle at record highs for the second straight session on Thursday, buoyed by lower crude prices in international markets and fresh foreign fund inflows amid largely positive global cues.

Hectic buying in energy, metal and FMCG counters also added to the momentum, traders said.

Rising for the fifth consecutive day, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 371.95 points or 0.52 per cent to settle at an all-time closing high of 72,410.38. During the day, it rallied 445.91 points or 0.61 per cent to reach its lifetime peak of 72,484.34.

The Nifty climbed 123.95 points or 0.57 per cent to settle at a fresh record of 21,778.70. During the day, it zoomed 146.7 points or 0.67 per cent to hit its lifetime high of 21,801.45.

In the last five sessions, the BSE benchmark rallied 1,904.07 points or 2.70 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 628.55 points or 2.97 per cent.

Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.81 per cent, followed by NTPC, Power Grid, Nestle, Tata Motors, ITC, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank. In contrast, Larsen & Toubro, Wipro, JSW Steel, UltraTech Cement, and Asian Paints were among the laggards.

In the broader market, the BSE midcap gauge climbed 0.66 per cent, and smallcap index advanced 0.23 per cent.

Among the indices, oil & gas jumped 2.45 per cent, energy rallied 2.18 per cent, metal (1.60 per cent), FMCG (1.24 per cent), realty (0.97 per cent) and power (0.95 per cent). On the other hand, industrials and IT were the laggards.