Sensex, Nifty close at record highs; metal, capital goods stocks top gainers

Benchmark indices closed at all-time highs today amid mixed global cues. Sensex ended 175 points higher at 56,124 and Nifty gained 68 points to 16,705. UltraTech Cement was the top  Sensex gainer surging over 3 per cent, followed by L&T, Dr Reddy's, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, TCS and Kotak Bank.

Infosys, IndusInd Bank, M&M, Nestle India and HCL Tech were among the top Sensex losers, falling up to 1.07%.

Of 30 Sensex stocks, 20 ended in green. Market cap of BSE-listed firms rose to a record high of Rs 243.73 lakh crore.

Market breadth was positive with 1,917 shares ending higher against 1,284 shares closing in the red. 137 shares were unchanged.

Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities said," If Nifty opens above 15,722 and remains high for the first hour of trade on Monday, we could see further improvement in the Nifty as well as the broader markets. 16,543 on the downside could be a crucial support."

BSE mid cap and small cap indices rose 240 points and 241 points, respectively.

Capital goods shares led the gains with their BSE index ending 513 points higher at 24,470.

All 19 BSE sectoral indices closed in the green.

BSE metal and BSE pharma indices were the other major gainers, rising 280 points and 264 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, rupee surged 53 paise to close at 73.69 against the US dollar, supported by a firm trend in domestic equities ahead of the key speech from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The local unit moved in a range of 73.69 to 74.20 in the day trade.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai and Seoul ended with gains, while Hong Kong and Tokyo settled in the red.

Equities in Europe were trading on a negative note in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude rose 0.94 per cent to $71.74 per barrel.