Mumbai, April 21: Stock markets advanced for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, with Sensex jumping by 753 points and broader Nifty closing above 24,550 following a drop in crude oil prices and hopes for progress on peace talks between Iran and the US.
The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 753.03 points or 0.96 per cent to settle at 79,273.33. During the day, it surged 846.78 points or 1.07 per cent to 79,367.08.
The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 211.75 points or 0.87 per cent to end at 24,576.60.
Among the 30-Sensex firms, Trent rose the most by 3.55 per cent. Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were the major winners.
Bharat Electronics, Titan, Reliance Industries and NTPC were among the laggards. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 0.75 per cent lower at USD 94.76 per barrel. “Indian equity markets traded on a positive note, as investors positioned for a potential near-term de-escalation in the Middle East. Energy markets remained in a consolidation phase, as traders balanced hopes of a near-term resolution and a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz against ongoing uncertainty around ceasefire negotiations,” Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.
Broader markets also advanced with the BSE MidCap Select index jumping 0.73 per cent and SmallCap Select index by 0.29 per cent.
Among sectoral indices, FMCG rallied the most by 2.23 per cent, followed by Realty (2.17 per cent), MidSmall Private Banks Quality Tilt (1.71 per cent), Private Banks index (1.67 per cent), Top 10 Banks (1.66 per cent) and Bankex (1.46 per cent). Capital Goods emerged as the only laggard. (PTI)
