Market at new peak: Sensex scales 55K
What's the story
Equity benchmark Sensex rallied 593 points to end above the 55,000 mark for the first time on Friday, propelled by gains in the index heavyweights TCS, Reliance Industries, and HDFC twins. The 30-share index rose 593.31 points or 1.08 percent to its new all-time high of 55,437.29. It touched an intra-day record of 55,487.79. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty breached the 16,500 level.
Gainers
Who were the top gainers and losers?
Nifty advanced 164.70 points or 1.01 percent to its fresh closing peak of 16,529.10. It surged to a record of 16,543.60 during the day. TCS was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising over three percent, followed by L&T, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, Tata Steel, Bajaj Auto, and Reliance Industries. PowerGrid, IndusInd Bank, Dr. Reddy's, Bajaj Finance, and NTPC were among the laggards.
IT stocks
IT stocks remained in focus throughout the week: Expert
"Sustained rebound in IT followed by recovery in financials and consumers aided benchmark indices to defy weak cues from Asian markets and scale fresh records," said Binod Modi, Head Strategy at Reliance Securities. "IT stocks remained in focus throughout the week and investors lapped-up quality IT names due to sustained double-digit revenue growth visibility backed by strong deal wins," he added.
Global markets
Brent crude was trading at $71.24 per barrel
Early today, Sensex jumped over 250 points to cross the 55,000 mark, and Nifty advanced 69.80 points to record 16,434.20 in initial deals. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul ended in the red. Equities in Europe were trading on a positive note in mid-session deals. Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 0.10 percent to $71.24 per barrel.