The stock markets benchmark, Sensex, on Thursday closed 168 points below the 19,000 mark at its new peak of 18,832.65 on global cues and sustained inflow of funds, despite mild quarterly results by IT bellwether Infosys.

In a volatile trade, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) index fluctuated in a range of 18,832.65 and 18,536.97 before ending at a new closing high of 18,814.07, a net rise of 155.82 points or 0.84 per cent over Wednesday’s close of 18,658.25. The Sensex, which completed the last 1,000-point journey in just two days, extended its rally to third straight session even though Infosys results failed to cheer the market.

The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange jumped by 83.40 points or 1.53 per cent to close at a fresh peak of 5,524.85 from previous close of 5,441.45. Infosys achieved the one billion dollar revenue milestone but its results were not better than the market expectations, market players said.

The main driver was consistent investment by FIIs, which surprised all concerned quarters with massive inflows of $6.5 billion in the last 15 days, they added. Reacting to Infosys’ performance, IT shares suffered a sharp setback, resulting in a hefty fall of 282.28 points or 5.59 per cent in the BSE IT Index.