Sensex climbs for 3rd straight day; software, metal stocks gain

The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.83% to 14,940.95 by 10:30 am, while the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.81% at 50,065.72. All 14 sectoral indexes were higher.

Indian shares rose for a third straight session on Thursday, as metals and software services stocks led a broad-based advance after the country's central bank kept its monetary policy accommodative to support economic growth. India's main stock indexes have been retreating from the record highs of February amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has spurred curbs in some states and threatened to derail a nascent economic recovery. Infections jumped by another daily record on Thursday. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday kept interest rates at record lows but committed to a massive government bond purchase programme, helping keep share markets buoyant.