Sensex ends above 80,800 levels, Nifty ends near 24,700 levels; SBI Life Insurance gains over 5%

Domestic equity benchmarks in Tuesday's trade strengthened further on optimistic global cues. At the close, Nifty ended near 24,700 levels at 24,698.85, up 0.51 per cent or 126.2 points while Sensex added 0.47 per cent or 378.18 points at 80,802.86 points. Meanwhile Bank Nifty stole the show and after reclaiming 51,000 levels ended higher by 0.86 per cent.

Primarily, retail investors and DII' frenzy is supporting the markets current bull run. Furthermore, the sentiment has turned upbeat as the latest economic data in the US underpinned hopes of a interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.

Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services said, "The domestic market started the session with a strong surge, buoyed by positive global sentiment amidst Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks and diminishing US recession fears due to recent favourable data. Concurrently, easing geopolitical risks and weak China demand have led to a decline in crude prices, benefiting the domestic economy. Meanwhile, inflationary pressure in Japan and the appreciating Yen cautioned the rally. This week’s Japan inflation data and FOMC minutes will provide insights into future interest rate trajectories and market trends."

The decline in Brent crude below $78 is a macro positive for India. At the micro level this can lead to mild rally in stocks of companies that use crude as input such as paints, adhesives and tyres.

Sectorally, banking and financial services were the most upbeat with gains of over 1 per cent, followed by IT stocks while the FMCG and media indices traded with mild weakness. "Paradoxically, financials are the most attractive segment from the valuation perspective even though the struggle for deposits is keeping the sentiments negative for this segment. When the scenario changes there is a possibility of a sharp up move in financials," remarked Vijaykumar of Geojit.

Meanwhile, European stocks traded mixed with FTSE index down by 0.71 per cent, while French CAC traded with marginal gains.