Sensex gains 200 pts; NTPC, Bajaj Finance rise 2.5% each

Defying weak global mood, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex was ruling 200 points higher at 66,470 levels in Friday’s intraday trade, while the Nifty50 topped the 19,750-mark.

L&T, Tata Steel, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finserv, Power Grid, Maruti Suzuki, and HCL Technologies were the leading stocks on the 30-pack index, rising up to 1 per cent.

Meanwhile, the record hitting spree continued in the broader market with the Nifty MidCap index claiming new peak for an eighth straight day, up 0.5 per cent. The Nifty SmallCap index, too, hit a record high, adding 0.8 per cent.

Among sectors, the Nifty Realty index added 0.97 per cent, the Nifty PSU Bank and Auto index advanced 0.5 per cent each, with the latter hitting a new all-time high, followed by the Nifty FMCG index (up 0.15 per cent).