Markets extend gains for 3rd day; Sensex ends above 81,900 on FII inflows, lower crude oil

MUMBAI: Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty ended marginally higher on Thursday, taking their winning run to the third straight day, amid sustained foreign fund inflows and lower crude oil prices.

The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 31.61 points, or 0.04 per cent, to settle at 81,911.01. During the day, it hit a high of 82,325.61 and a low of 81,576.15.

The 50-share NSE Nifty was up 44.30 points, or 0.18 per cent, to end at 25,299.35.

Among the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, Bharat Electronics, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank and Eternal were the major winners.

Hindustan Unilever, Maruti, Power Grid and Tata Consultancy Services were among the laggards.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 12,563.33 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dipped 0.44 per cent to USD 92.50 per barrel.

"Indian equities traded near flat as buying in financials and realty offset profit-taking in IT, FMCG and automobiles following the recent sharp rally. Strong foreign inflows remained the key support, reinforcing a large-cap financial rotation rather than broad index chasing. Mid and small-caps nevertheless outperformed, signalling firmer underlying risk appetite despite muted benchmarks," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd, said.

Softer crude provided macro relief, though global technology volatility and a hotter-than-expected US inflation print kept global yields and rate expectations in focus, limiting scope for broader rerating, he added.

In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended lower.

Markets in Europe were trading higher.

The US equity markets closed higher on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq Composite rallying 1.60 per cent, the S&P 500 climbing 1.31 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.49 per cent.

On Wednesday, the Sensex rallied 772.75 points, or 0.95 per cent, to settle at 81,879.40, reaching a level not seen since February 26. The Nifty closed 210.40 points, or 0.84 per cent, higher at 25,255.05, the highest in nearly nine months.