<p>Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost flat on the last trading day of 2020 on Thursday as investors tracked news related to Covid-19 vaccines rollout across the globe for further bets.</p>.<p>In choppy trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex inched up by 5.11 points 0.01 per cent to its new closing record of 47,751.33.</p>.<p>After opening higher at 47,753.11, the index hit its all-time high of 47,896.97 during the day and touched a low of 47,602.12.</p>.<p>The broader NSE Nifty crossed the record 14,000 level for the first time, touching an intra-day peak of 14,024.85. The 50-issue index pared gains to close at 13,981.75, down by just 0.20 points.</p>.<p>The indices, however, closed the year 2020 with overall gains of around 15 per cent. Sensex gained 15.7 per cent while Nifty jumped 14.9 per cent in the year.</p>.<p>HDFC was the leading gainer among Sensex stocks on Thursday, rising by 1.65 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Titan and Infosys.</p>.<p>TCS was the biggest loser, shedding 1.33 per cent. Ultratech Cement, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank and Tech Mahindra were among the other major laggards.</p>.<p>Bourses in Tokyo and South Korea were closed for the New Year's holidays. Among others, Australia's S&P/ASX fell 1.4 per cent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.3 per cent.</p>.<p>The Shanghai Composite gained 1.2 per cent.</p>.<p>Analysts said focus has been on vaccine-related developments around the globe, with China's Sinopharm becoming the latest to release encouraging study results.</p>.<p>On Wall Street, stocks eked out modest gains overnight. Oil prices inched forward in global trade. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 25 cents to USD 51.34 a barrel. </p>
<p>Key stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost flat on the last trading day of 2020 on Thursday as investors tracked news related to Covid-19 vaccines rollout across the globe for further bets.</p>.<p>In choppy trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex inched up by 5.11 points 0.01 per cent to its new closing record of 47,751.33.</p>.<p>After opening higher at 47,753.11, the index hit its all-time high of 47,896.97 during the day and touched a low of 47,602.12.</p>.<p>The broader NSE Nifty crossed the record 14,000 level for the first time, touching an intra-day peak of 14,024.85. The 50-issue index pared gains to close at 13,981.75, down by just 0.20 points.</p>.<p>The indices, however, closed the year 2020 with overall gains of around 15 per cent. Sensex gained 15.7 per cent while Nifty jumped 14.9 per cent in the year.</p>.<p>HDFC was the leading gainer among Sensex stocks on Thursday, rising by 1.65 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Asian Paints, Titan and Infosys.</p>.<p>TCS was the biggest loser, shedding 1.33 per cent. Ultratech Cement, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank and Tech Mahindra were among the other major laggards.</p>.<p>Bourses in Tokyo and South Korea were closed for the New Year's holidays. Among others, Australia's S&P/ASX fell 1.4 per cent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.3 per cent.</p>.<p>The Shanghai Composite gained 1.2 per cent.</p>.<p>Analysts said focus has been on vaccine-related developments around the globe, with China's Sinopharm becoming the latest to release encouraging study results.</p>.<p>On Wall Street, stocks eked out modest gains overnight. Oil prices inched forward in global trade. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 25 cents to USD 51.34 a barrel. </p>