Sensex rallies 663 points to close above 57k-mark; Nifty scales 17k

Extending their record-setting streak, the Sensex rallied 663 points to close above 57,000 for the first time while the Nifty scaled the 17,000-mark on Tuesday, driven by gains in Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance and TCS amid positive global cues.

After touching a lifetime high of 57,625.26 during the session, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 662.63 points or 1.16 per cent higher at its record close of 57,552.39.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty soared 201.15 points or 1.19 per cent to an all-time closing peak of 17,132.20. It touched an intra-day record of 17,153.50.

Bharti Airtel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying nearly 7 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Asian Paints, Titan, TCS and Tech Mahindra.

On the other hand, Nestle India, IndusInd Bank and Reliance Industries were the laggards.

Domestic equities extended gains with Nifty surpassing 17,000 levels within a month, said Binod Modi, Head - Strategy at Reliance Securities.

"Sustained buying momentum across all sectors and favourable global cues aided markets. All key sectoral indices traded in green with metals, financials (excluding banks) and pharma witnessing stronger recovery," he noted.

Bharti Airtel was in focus again due to clarity over fund raising and indication of tariff hike. However, midcap and smallcap stocks underperformed on profit-booking, he said.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul ended on a positive note. Equities in Europe were also trading with gains in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 0.83 per cent to $71.63 per barrel.