Markets end at fresh record highs; Sensex rallies nearly 690 points, Nifty tops 14,350

New Delhi: Markets ended at fresh record highs led by gains in index heavyweights amidst strong global equities.

The 30-share BSE index closed 689.19 points or 1.43 per cent higher at 48,782.51. It touched an intra-day record of 48,854.34. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty rallied 209.90 points or 1.48 per cent to close at its record high of 14,347.25. During the day, the index scaled a life-time peak of 14,367.30.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were Maruti, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Ultracham, Mahindra & Mahindra, Powergrid, NTPC, Sun Pharma, HCL Tech, TCS, ONGC and LT, rising up to 5.94 percent. On the other hand, top laggards were IndusInd Bank, Bharti Airtel, SBI, ITC, HDFC and Bajaj Finance, dropping up to 1.37 percent.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 382.30 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul ended with significant gains, while Shanghai was in the red. Stock exchanges in Europe were also trading on a positive note in early deals.