New Delhi, March 5 (UNI) The Indian stock market on Thursday ended higher, supported by strong buying in key sectors like metals, infrastructure, energy and auto stocks.
At close, Sensex rose 900 points, or 1.14 per cent, at 80,015, while the Nifty gained 285 points, or 1.17 per cent, to settle at 24,765.
On Nifty, Adani Ports emerged as the top gainer, rising 4.52%, Larsen & Toubro gained 4.02%, Hindalco Industries climbed 3.60 %, NTPC rose 3.35% and Reliance Industries by 3.30%.
Further, Coal India also gained 3.27%, and Bharat Electronics, Shriram Finance, JSW Steel and InterGlobe Aviation advanced between about 2.7% and 2.9%.
On the losing side were Tech Mahindra, as the biggest loser, falling 1.32%. HCL Tech declined 0.73%, ICICI Bank by 0.57% and SBI fell by 0.43%. TCS, Hindustan Unilever, Eternal, ONGC, Axis Bank and ITC also closed marginally lower.
Among the sectors, Nifty Metal gained 2.21%, Consumer Durables surged 2%. Nifty Auto, Nifty Realty, Nifty Oil and Gas, Nifty Pharma, Nifty Chemicals, and Nifty Media, all closing with gains of over 1%.
Indian rupee strengthened ending at 91.60 per dollar, compared with 92.15 per dollar.
The market capitalisation of all listed companies on the BSE spiked to Rs 453 lakh crore during the trade from Rs 447 lakh crore in the previous session.
Stocks of major shipbuilding companies also posted healthy gains. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Cochin Shipyard, and Garden Reach Shipbuilders closed with gains of 8.9%, 3.6%, and 4.4%, respectively.
Among the global markets, US stock futures signalled a weaker start, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures falling 0.2% and S&P 500 futures slipping 0.1%.
Amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, the brent crude rose 1.8% to USD 82.87 per barrel.
