<div><span>The benchmark Sensex today hit a new lifetime high but pared gains on profit-booking to end with a slim 3.48-point rise at a fresh closing peak of 25,583.69.<br /><br /></span><div>Stock markets had opened on a strong note with the 30-scrip BSE Sensex touching a new high of 25,711.11 points in early trade on heavy buying by funds and retail investors.<br /><br /></div><div>However, profit booking in realty, oil and gas, capital goods, power and metal stocks pulled the index down to the day's low of 25,347.33 points. It saw a mild recovery before ending at a new closing high of 25,583.69, up 3.48 points or 0.01 per cent.<br /><br /></div><div>This was its fourth successive positive closing. The gauge had gained nearly 775 points in the previous three days.<br /><br /></div><div>Yesterday, the 30-share benchmark index had hit previous lifetime high of 25,644.77 and ended at record closing high of 25,580.21 on optimism over government's agenda for reforms.<br /><br /></div><div>The broad-based NSE Nifty, after soaring to a new intra-day high of 7,683.20, succumbed to selling pressure to close just 1.80 points, or 0.02 per cent, up at 7,656.40 -- also a new record closing. It surpassed previous intra-day record of 7,673.70 reached yesterday.<br /><br /></div><div>Brokers said investors were booking profits after the market climbed to all-time high and adopted a cautious stance ahead of retail inflation for May and April factory output.<br /><br /></div><div>Besides, some worries over below-normal monsoon forecast, too triggered some selling by participants.<br /><br /></div><div>In Sensex, 16 losers were led by Axis Bank, SBI, Hero Motorcorp, ICICI Bank, Larsen and Toubro, BHEL, Bajaj Auto, ONGC, Reliance Industries, Sesa Sterlite and HDFC Bank.<br /><br /></div><div>The 14 gainers which helped Sensex to close in the positive territory were Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Cipla, Sun Pharma, Hindalco, HUL, Coal India, Tata Motors and HDFC.<br /><br /></div><div>Sectorwise, the consumer durables index gained the most by rising 3.55 per cent, followed by IT by 2.32 per cent and healthcare index by 1.97 per cent, among others.</div><div> </div><div>However, the realty index suffered the most by losing 2.96 per cent, followed by PSU index down 1.28 per cent to and oil and gas index slipped 0.96 per cent.</div></div>
<div><span>The benchmark Sensex today hit a new lifetime high but pared gains on profit-booking to end with a slim 3.48-point rise at a fresh closing peak of 25,583.69.<br /><br /></span><div>Stock markets had opened on a strong note with the 30-scrip BSE Sensex touching a new high of 25,711.11 points in early trade on heavy buying by funds and retail investors.<br /><br /></div><div>However, profit booking in realty, oil and gas, capital goods, power and metal stocks pulled the index down to the day's low of 25,347.33 points. It saw a mild recovery before ending at a new closing high of 25,583.69, up 3.48 points or 0.01 per cent.<br /><br /></div><div>This was its fourth successive positive closing. The gauge had gained nearly 775 points in the previous three days.<br /><br /></div><div>Yesterday, the 30-share benchmark index had hit previous lifetime high of 25,644.77 and ended at record closing high of 25,580.21 on optimism over government's agenda for reforms.<br /><br /></div><div>The broad-based NSE Nifty, after soaring to a new intra-day high of 7,683.20, succumbed to selling pressure to close just 1.80 points, or 0.02 per cent, up at 7,656.40 -- also a new record closing. It surpassed previous intra-day record of 7,673.70 reached yesterday.<br /><br /></div><div>Brokers said investors were booking profits after the market climbed to all-time high and adopted a cautious stance ahead of retail inflation for May and April factory output.<br /><br /></div><div>Besides, some worries over below-normal monsoon forecast, too triggered some selling by participants.<br /><br /></div><div>In Sensex, 16 losers were led by Axis Bank, SBI, Hero Motorcorp, ICICI Bank, Larsen and Toubro, BHEL, Bajaj Auto, ONGC, Reliance Industries, Sesa Sterlite and HDFC Bank.<br /><br /></div><div>The 14 gainers which helped Sensex to close in the positive territory were Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Cipla, Sun Pharma, Hindalco, HUL, Coal India, Tata Motors and HDFC.<br /><br /></div><div>Sectorwise, the consumer durables index gained the most by rising 3.55 per cent, followed by IT by 2.32 per cent and healthcare index by 1.97 per cent, among others.</div><div> </div><div>However, the realty index suffered the most by losing 2.96 per cent, followed by PSU index down 1.28 per cent to and oil and gas index slipped 0.96 per cent.</div></div>