Domestic equity benchmarks came off record high levels in late trade and ended with decent gains on Thursday. Strength in financial stocks offset losses in IT, FMCG and auto shares. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, added 223.88 points or 0.48% to 46,890.34. The Nifty 50 index advanced 58 points or 0.42% to 13,740.70. Both the indices attained record closing high levels.
The S&P BSE Sensex hit a record high of 46,992.57 while the Nifty hit a record high of 13,773.25 in afternoon trade.
HDFC (up 2.92%), HDFC Bank (up 2.17%), Bajaj Finance (up 2.74%) and Reliance Industries (up 0.46%) were major market movers.
Investors reacted positively to comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve that it will continue to support the economy. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell also said on Wednesday that stock prices are not necessarily highly priced given how low interest rates are. Meanwhile, negotiators in Washington are shaping a new $900 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that is said to include a second stimulus check.