Sensex ends 86 points higher; Nifty tops 11,400
Domestic equity benchmark Sensex rose 86 points on Wednesday, led by gains in Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank amid positive cues from global markets. After touching a high of 38,788.51 during the day, the BSE Sensex settled 86.47 points or 0.22 per cent higher at 38,614.79. The NSE Nifty rose 23.05 points or 0.20 per cent to 11,408.40.
Tech Mahindra was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by Bharti Airtel, Maruti, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints and Reliance Industries.
On the other hand, Bajaj Auto, ONGC, Nestle India, HUL and Kotak Bank were among the laggards.
According to traders, domestic bourses followed positive cues from global markets after US equities hit record highs in overnight session.
Persistent foreign fund inflows too buoyed investor sentiment here, they said.
Exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 1,134.57 crore on a net basis on Tuesday.
Bourses in Tokyo and Seoul ended on a positive note, while Shanghai and Hong Kong were in the red.
Stock exchanges in Europe were trading with steady gains in early deals.
Investors are also awaiting cues from the minutes of US Federal Reserve's meeting.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.66 per cent lower at USD 45.16 per barrel.
In the forex market, the rupee settled 6 paise lower at 74.82 against the US dollar.
