Indian benchmark equity indices, Sensex and Nifty ended at record levels on Wednesday led by gains in metal and auto stocks. Sensex finished 133 points higher at 47,746, while Nifty closed at 13,982.
Broader indices, Nifty Smallcap100 and Nifty Midcap100 supported the rally by ending 0.70 and 0.22 percent higher, respectively.
Among sectors, Nifty Auto, Nifty Metal and Nifty Realty ended over 1 percent each. Ending in the red was Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty pharma.
Among major Sensex movers, Ultratech Cement rose over 4 per cent, Bajaj Finance by 2.63 per cent and Maruti by 2 per cent. Mahindra and Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, HUL, Kotak Bank, HDFC Bank, Reliance Industries and Asian Paints also finished in the green.
After opening strong, the stock indices gave up gains due to profit booking by investors. However, positive trends in the European stocks helped the indices rebound and end at record levels. European stocks advanced on Wednesday as the UK approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Britain has authorized use of a second COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first country to greenlight an easy-to-handle shot that its developers hope will become the ”vaccine for the world”. Asian shares were mixed after a lackluster day on Wall Street. Benchmarks fell in Tokyo and Sydney but rallied in Hong Kong, Seoul and Shanghai.
(With inputs from PTI)
First Published: IST