Sensex closes above 66,000-mark for first time, Nifty settles at new record high

Benchmark BSE Sensex closed above the historic 66,000-mark for the first time while NSE Nifty hit a new all-time closing high driven by heavy buying in IT counters and fresh foreign fund inflows.

Optimism in global equity markets also helped the local markets maintain their winning momentum for a second day.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 502.01 points or 0.77 per cent to settle at its new all-time closing high of 66,060.90. During the day, it rallied 600.9 points or 0.91 per cent to hit its all-time intra-day peak of 66,159.79.

The NSE Nifty went up by 150.75 points or 0.78 per cent to end at a new record high of 19,564.50. During the day, it reached its lifetime intra-day peak of 19,595.35, registering a jump of 181.6 points or 0.93 per cent.

From the Sensex pack, Tata Consultancy Services jumped over 5 per cent and Tech Mahindra rallied 4.51 per cent. Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro, Tata Steel, Nestle, Asian Paints, Larsen & Toubro and Hindustan Unilever were also among the major gainers.

On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, Titan, Maruti, UltraTech Cement, NTPC and Axis Bank were among the laggards.