Markets at record highs on low crude oil prices

Fueling the rally

• Sensex jumps 371.95 pts to all-time high of 72,410.38
• Nifty climbs 123.95 pts to settle at a record of 21,778.70
• M&M, NTPC, Power Grid, Nestle, Tata Motors among gainers
• Toubro, Wipro, JSW Steel, UltraTech Cement laggards

Mumbai: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty advanced further to settle at record highs for the second straight session on Thursday, buoyed by lower crude prices in international markets and fresh foreign fund inflows amid largely positive global cues.

Hectic buying in energy, metal and FMCG counters also added to the momentum, traders said.

Rising for the fifth consecutive day, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 371.95 points or 0.52 per cent to settle at an all-time closing high of 72,410.38. During the day, it rallied 445.91 points or 0.61 per cent to reach its lifetime peak of 72,484.34. The Nifty climbed 123.95 points or 0.57 per cent to settle at a fresh record of 21,778.70. During the day, it zoomed 146.7 points or 0.67 per cent to hit its lifetime high of 21,801.45.

In the last five sessions, the BSE benchmark rallied 1,904.07 points or 2.70 per cent, and the Nifty climbed 628.55 points or 2.97 per cent. “The benchmark index maintained its optimism and hit a fresh high owing to ease in the Red Sea issue and reversal of FII inflows. A decline in crude oil prices below $80 prompted widespread purchasing across oil and energy companies. The Asian market too advanced due to expectation of more aggressive rate cuts by the Fed next year,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 2.81 per cent, followed by NTPC, Power Grid, Nestle, Tata Motors, ITC, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank. In contrast, Larsen & Toubro, Wipro, JSW Steel, UltraTech Cement, and Asian Paints were among the laggards. In the broader market, the BSE midcap gauge climbed 0.66 per cent, and smallcap index advanced 0.23 per cent.

Among the indices, oil & gas jumped 2.45 per cent, energy rallied 2.18 per cent, metal (1.60 per cent), FMCG (1.24 per cent), realty (0.97 per cent) and power (0.95 per cent). On the other hand, industrials and IT were the laggards.

“Asian shares scaled five-month peaks on Thursday as market wagers on ever-more aggressive rate cuts extended a huge rally in US stocks. Gains in Asia were led by Chinese shares, which were headed for their best day in four months, boosted by a rotation into some of 2023’s worst-performing sectors. European stocks opened mildly lower,” said Deepak Jasani - Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned buyers on Wednesday after continuous offloading and bought equities worth Rs2,926.05 crore, according to exchange data.

In the previous session, the BSE benchmark jumped 701.63 points, or 0.98 per cent, to settle at its all-time closing high of 72,038.43. The Nifty climbed 213.40 points, or 1 per cent, to settle at a record high of 21,654.75.