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| Edited By: |Source: PTI |Updated: Mar 29, 2018, 06:23 AM IST
Samvat 2065 ended today on a cheerful note as the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex rose by 127 points, with funds buying into banking and realty stocks.
Marketmen said investors are optimistic of robust corporate earnings and a swifter economic recovery. The Sensex closed higher by 127.62 points at 17,322.82 supported by handsome gains in banking, realty and refinery stocks.
Brokers said second quarter earnings announced by corporates so far are encouraging. Banking stocks attracted buying ahead of RBI's monetary policy review later this month. State Bank of India rose by 5.30 per cent and private lender ICICI Bank by 2.41 per cent.
Marketmen said investors were enlarging their positions for gains on the first day of trading in Samvat year 2066 that begins tomorrow. The bourse will have a token one-hour muharat trading tomorrow.
The second wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 33.30 points to 5,142.15, after touching the day's high of 5,149.65.
Indices in Asia were mixed. Stocks in Japan and Taiwan closed in the green while in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea finished in the red. European markets such as France, Germany and UK were early quoting up by about 0.22% and 0.56%. US stock index futures also indicated a firm opening today.
Sustained heavy buying by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) too boosted sentiments. The Sensex has surged 102 per cent, adding 729 billion dollar to investor wealth since its fall to a three-year low last year.
Maximum contributor to the benchmark were stocks in realty, bank, oil and gas, power and public sector undertaking segments. However, bucking the general firming trend, stocks in auto, metal, FMCG, consumer durable and information technology sectors suffered losses on emergence of profit booking.
