FINAL TRADE: Sensex soars 227.55 pts, Nifty settles at 21,910.75; SBI hits all-time high, M&M up over 6%

Stock market today: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended the session above the flatline on Thursday (February 15) amid buying in banking, auto, financial services, information technology (IT), metal, realty, and oil & gas counters. 

Both indices rose 0.32 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex was up 227.55 points at 72,050.38, and the NSE Nifty soared 70.70 points to 21,910.75.

Among the Nifty 50 stocks, 26 advanced, with M&M, Power Grid, BPCL, NTPC, and ONGC being the top gainers, rising between 2.83 per cent and 6.81 per cent. Conversely, Axis Bank, Apollo Hospitals, ITC, Britannia, and HUL were the top laggards, slipping between 1.3 per cent and 2.01 per cent. 

Meanwhile, among the Sensex constituents, M&M, NTPC, and Power Grid were the top winners. 

"The benchmark indexes inched higher, mirroring the positive sentiment prevailing in the global market. The disinflation trend in the eurozone, coupled with better earnings, lifted investor sentiment. Despite the broad-based recovery, market participants are more inclined towards quality large-cap stocks owing to the prevailing valuation gap, which led them to exercise caution on small and mid-caps," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services.

Meanwhile, Nifty Mid Cap 100 and Small Cap 100 settled over 1 per cent higher. High-beta Nifty Bank was up 0.68 per cent at 46,218.9, with SBI shares hitting a record high at Rs 764 apiece on the BSE. 

GLOBAL MARKETS

Japan's Nikkei share average rallied to its highest level in 34 years on Thursday, as chip-related shares tracked overnight gains in Wall Street peers.

The benchmark stock index now sits just 800 points, or about 2 per cent, below its all-time high in 1989, which marked the peak of Japan's so-called "bubble economy."

(With inputs from agencies.) 

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