Sensex settles at record closing high, Nifty ends near 16,300

Equity benchmark Sensex jumped 152 points to end at a record high on Tuesday, tracking gains in index majors HDFC, Bharti Airtel and Infosys. A positive trend in global markets also lifted investor' sentiment. The 30-share index ended at its lifetime peak of 54,554.66, up 151.81 points or 0.28%. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 21.85 points or 0.13% to 16,280.10. Bharti Airtel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 4 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, HDFC, Kotak Bank, M&M and HCL Tech. Tata Steel, NTPC, ITC and PowerGrid were among the laggards. Most sectoral indices on the NSE closed in the red. Nifty Metal, shedding nearly 3%, was the top sectoral laggard followed by Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Media. On the other hand, Nifty IT and Nifty Financial Services settled 0.90% and 0.30% higher. Nifty Bank was little changed and settled 0.01% higher. Market breadth was negative as 2,498 stocks declined on the BSE, while 761 advanced and 115 remained unchanged. In Asia, stock exchanges in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo ended with gains, while Seoul was in the red. Equities in Europe were largely trading on a positive note in mid-session deals.