Markets scale record highs for 3rd straight session; Sensex closes above 44,000-level for 1st time

New Delhi: Equity benchmarks scaled major milestones for the third straight day on Wednesday with the BSE Sensex closing above the 44,000-level for the first time.

The BSE Sensex soared 227.34 points or 0.52 percent to close at 44,180.05. Intra-day, it touched its lifetime high of 44,215.49. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty advanced 64.05 points or 0.50 percent to end at its all-time high of 12,938.25, after making an intra-day record of 12,948.85.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were M&M, LT, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserve, SBI, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, Maruti, ONGC and HDFC, rising upto 10.76 percent. On the other hand, major losers were HUL, ITC, Titan, TCS, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Powergrid, Nestle and NTPC, falling upto 2.07 percent.

BSE capital goods, auto, industrials, realty, bankex and finance indices surged up to 3.72 per cent, while FMCG, IT, teck, telecom and healthcare closed with losses.

The broader BSE midcap and smallcap indices rallied as much as 1.22 per cent.

Meanwhile, the rupee continued its winning momentum for the third session in a row on Wednesday, rising 27 paise to settle at 74.19 against the US dollar.

Foreign institutional investors remained net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 4,905.35 crore on Tuesday, according to provisional exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul ended on a positive note, while Tokyo was in the red. Stock exchanges in Europe also largely opened with gains. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.85 per cent higher at USD 44.12 per barrel.