FINAL TRADE: Dream run continues; Sensex gains 205 pts to end at 66,795, Nifty settles at 19,749

Stock market today: Continuing with the new normal, i.e., scaling fresh peaks every day, the benchmark indices ended at new record closing highs on July 18, Tuesday. The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 205 points, or 0.31 per cent to 66,795.14 levels, while the NSE's Nifty ended at 9,749, up 37.80 points, or 0.19 per cent. During the day, the 30-share index of the BSE hit an all-time peak of 67,007.02. NSE's Nifty reached a milestone of 19,819.45 intraday.

On the Sensex, Infosys (up nearly 4 per cent) was the biggest gainer, followed by Asian Paints (up 1.50 per cent) and HCL Tech (up over 1 per cent).

"The market is flush with FII inflows, which is the major driving force behind the rally in benchmark indices. While the market may be in an overbought zone, the undertone remains bullish due to India's strong economic performance and hopes that the US rate hike cycle could be nearing the end on the back of moderating inflation. However, technically, intraday correction formation is indicating that range-bound activity is likely to continue in the near future. For Nifty, 19,700 could be the key support level for day traders, below which a quick intraday correction till 19,650–19,600 is seen. On the flip side, as long as the index is trading above 19,700, the uptrend wave is likely to continue and could rally till 19,825–19,875," said Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Research (Retail), Kotak Securities Ltd.

Broader market 

The Nifty Midcap 100 and the Smallcap 100 both ended in red. Midcap 100 was down 0.14 per cent and Smallcap was down nearly 1 per cent. 

Sectoral watch 

Nifty Bank pared the gains of the morning and ended flat at 45,410.85. Nifty IT and Oil & Gas supported the benchmark index.

Buzzing stocks

Polycab India stock ended nearly 6 per cent higher after the company posted its June quarter results. Delta Corp closed over 4 per cent higher following the news that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council would be reviewing its decision to impose a 28 per cent tax on online gaming. Rallis India settled over 2 per cent higher after Tata Chemicals picked a 4.99 per cent stake. 

Conversely, Amara Raja Batteries shares ended over 6 per cent lower after 2.46 crore shares changed hands via multiple block deals.

Global markets

In Asian markets, Tokyo settled in the green, while Seoul and Shanghai ended lower. Equity markets in Europe were trading mostly in the green. The US markets ended in positive territory on Monday.

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