Markets at fresh record high; Sensex crosses 44,800

New Delhi: Markets opened in the positive zone tracking gains in index-heavyweights amid largely positive cues from global markets and persistent foreign fund inflows.

After touching a lifetime high of 44,825.37 in the opening session, the 30-share BSE index was trading 242.76 points or 0.55 per cent higher at 44,765.78. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty touched a record intra-day peak of 13,145.85, before trading 76.25 points or 0.58 per cent up at 13,131.40.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were ONGC, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Auto, SBI, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Ultrachem, ITC, RIL and NTPC, rising upto 3.94 percent. On the other hand, major losers were Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, TCS, NEstle, Titan, Asian Paint, Sun Pharma, HUL, Kotak Bank and Bharti Airtel, falling upto 1.86 percent.

In the previous session, Sensex ended 445.87 points or 1.01 per cent higher at a record high of 44,523.02, and Nifty rose 128.70 points or 1 per cent to close above the 13,000-mark for the first time at 13,055.15.

Foreign institutional investors remained net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 4,563.18 crore on a net basis on Tuesday, according to provisional exchange data.

World shares rallied to a record peak on Wednesday, following an overnight surge that saw the Dow Jones benchmark crack 30,000 for the first time as investors cheered a dramatically improved global outlook, a Reuters report said.

Among Asian Peers, MSCI`s broadest gauge of world stocks were up 0.2% to a record level. Its index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.45% while Japan`s Nikkei rallied 1.7% to a 29-year high. On Wall Street on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.54% to 30,046.24 while the S&P 500 gained 1.62%, to 3,635.41, also a record high. The Nasdaq Composite added 1.31%. E-mini futures for the S&P 500 rose another 0.5% in early Wednesday trade, Reuters added.

Meanwhile, Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was trading 1.26 per cent higher at USD 48.38 per barrel.

With Agency Inputs