Nifty Hits Record High, Sensex Jumps Over 300 Points; Metals Top Gainers

Metal stocks led the Nifty higher, with Tata Steel, JSW Steel and Hindalco locking in gains of 2-3 per cent each to emerge as the top gainers on the Nifty

The benchmark indices have opened firm, with the BSE Sensex rallying more than 300 points and Nifty hitting all-time highs, on the back of positive global cues. At 9:18 am, the BSE Sensex was at 51,351.55, higher by 250.55 points or 0.48 per cent and the NSE Nifty was at 15,424.95, up 87.70 points or 0.56 per cent. The broader markets were also trading firm, with the BSE Midcap index and BSE Smallcap index adding 0.3 per cent and 0.4 per cent each. Asian markets rose on Friday, with the broader Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gaining 0.59 per cent. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 jumped 1.94 per cent while the Topix index advanced 1.78 per cent. South Korea's Kospi edged 0.56 per cent higher. U.S. stocks advanced slightly on Thursday as data showing improvement in the labor market helped bolster expectations in the economic recovery and spurred a minor rotation towards stocks seen as more likely to benefit from the rebound. The Dow Jones rose 0.41 per cent, the S&P 500 gained 0.12 per cent and Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.01 per cent.