Stock markets rally for 6th day running on buying in HDFC Bank, L&T, RIL

Benchmark BSE Sensex rallied further 333 points to extend its winning run to a sixth straight session on Friday driven by buying in index heavyweights HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro and Reliance Industries.

Shrugging off weak global market trends, the BSE Sensex jumped 333.35 points or 0.50 per cent to close at 66,598.91. During the day, it climbed 501.36 points or 0.75 per cent to 66,766.92.

The broader Nifty advanced 92.90 points or 0.47 per cent to settle at 19,819.95, rising for a sixth session in a row.

Nifty has gained 473 points or 3 per cent in the six trading sessions while Sensex rallied 1,434 points or 2.41 per cent.

From the Sensex pack, NTPC, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finserv, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries, Titan, Power Grid and State Bank of India were the major gainers.

ITC, UltraTech Cement, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services and JSW Steel were among the laggards.

"Benchmark indices ended the week just a few percentage points away from record highs ahead of the G20 Summit buoyed by good support from the Bank Nifty as well as the PSU & Infrastructure stocks," S Ranganathan, Head of Research at LKP securities.

Despite a deficient monsoon, the mood in the market was optimistic as PSU stocks across sectors exhibited positive investor appetite, Ranganathan said.

Baning shares gained after the RBI announced a phased withdrawal of the incremental CRR which was imposed to absorb surplus liquidity following the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said that global markets stumbled as they processed August's jobless claims data from the US and the rise in gas prices due to strikes in Australia, rekindling further slowdown.

"The domestic market, however, showcased its resilience once more by rallying, seemingly unfazed by global distress signals."

"Although selling was seen in IT and pharma stocks due to weak global cues, the gains in infra, industrial, and capital goods stocks due to improved order inflows coupled with the persistent preference for mid- and small-cap stocks contributed to the ongoing rally," Nair said.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong ended in the negative territory. European markets were trading lower. The US markets ended on a mixed note on Thursday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.07 per cent to $89.98 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 758.55 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

The BSE benchmark ended with a gain of 385.04 points or 0.58 per cent at 66,265.56 on Thursday. The Nifty advanced 116 points or 0.59 per cent to settle at 19,727.05.