Markets end at record highs; investors’ wealth zooms over Rs 2 lakh crore

Equity benchmark Sensex surged 873 points to a record closing high, while the Nifty ended the day above the 16,000-mark for the first time on Tuesday tracking a positive trend in global markets. Sensex closed 872.73 points or 1.65% higher at 53,823.36. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 245.60 points or 1.55% to settle at 16,130.75. Titan, rising around 4%, was the top gainer in the 30-share BSE index followed by HDFC, Nestle India, IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement and Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, Bajaj Auto, Tata Steel and NTPC were the only laggards. Most sectoral indices on the NSE barring Nifty Metal and Nifty Realty closed in the green. Nifty FMCG closing nearly 2% higher was the top sectoral gainer followed by Nifty Financial Services, Nifty Auto and Nifty Bank. Nifty Media lost nearly 1%, while Nifty Metal fell marginally by 0.05%. Investors got richer by Rs 2.27 lakh crore as the market capitalisation of the BSE listed firms touched a record high of Rs 240.02 lakh crore. The overall market breadth was positive as 1,740 stocks on the BSE advanced, while 1,505 declined and 131 remained unchanged.