Sensex Rallies 522 Points; Bank Stocks Shine as Investors Gain Confidence from Opening of Economy

Equity benchmark Sensex rallied 522 points on Tuesday led by gains in banking stocks as investors seemed gathering more confidence from staggered opening of the economy by the government.

After hitting a high of 33,866.63 during the day, the 30-share index settled 522.01 points or 1.57 per cent higher at 33,825.53.

Similarly, NSE Nifty jumped 152.95 points or 1.56 per cent to 9,979.10.

Bajaj Finance was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, soaring over 8 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, IndusInd Bank, HDFC, PowerGrid, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and L&T. On the other hand, Maruti, ITC, NTPC and Nestle India were among the laggards.

According to analysts, market opened on a positive noted as gradual easing of the lockdown boosted investor sentiment which further strengthened with the buoyancy in the global markets.

Further, traders said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pledge to undertake more structural reforms to change the course of the country enthused market participants.

A day after Moody's downgraded India's credit rating to a notch above junk status on growth concerns, Modi asserted that the country will definitely get back its economic growth and said reforms undertaken during the lockdown will help the economy in the long-run.

Globally, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul ended on a positive note, and exchanges in Europe began trade with significant gains.

International oil benchmark Brent crude futures were trading 2.95 per cent higher at USD 39.45 per barrel.

On the currency front, the rupee rebounded from the day's low to provisionally close 18 paise higher against the US dollar at 75.36.