Nifty hits record intra-day high; Sensex jumps 573 points on gains in power, banking stocks

Mumbai: Equity benchmark index Nifty hit its lifetime peak before closing 182 points higher on Friday, and the BSE Sensex jumped 573 points, powered by strong buying in power, banking and metal stocks.

Unabated capital infusion by domestic institutional investors amid a sharp rally in Asian peers also supported the domestic stock market, traders said.

Charting out a firm trend, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 573.41 points or 0.67 per cent to settle at 85,762.01. During the day, it jumped 623.67 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 85,812.27.

The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 182 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 26,328.55. During the day, it surged 193.45 points, or 0.73 per cent, to reach an all-time peak of 26,340.

From the 30-Sensex firms, NTPC, Trent, Bajaj Finance, Power Grid, Maruti, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and Bharat Electronics were among the biggest gainers.

In contrast, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Titan Company, Axis Bank and Bharti Airtel were the laggards.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,268.60 crore on Thursday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 1,525.89 crore, according to exchange data.

In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended significantly higher. China's Shanghai index and Japan's Nikkei remain closed for a holiday.

Markets in Europe were trading higher.

US markets were closed on Thursday for the New Year's Day holiday.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declined 0.36 per cent to USD 60.63 per barrel.

On Thursday, the Sensex dipped 32 points or 0.04 per cent to settle at 85,188.60. The Nifty went up marginally by 16.95 points or 0.06 per cent to end at 26,146.55.