Sensex, Nifty hit new all-time high levels

Sensex and Nifty hit new highs, with banks leading gains; India records current account surplus; global markets mixed.

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty hit their new all-time high levels on June 25 tracking firm trends in Asian markets and buying in blue-chip bank stocks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 541.25 points to hit a fresh lifetime peak of 77,882.33 during the afternoon trade. The Nifty went up by 130.8 points to hit a new record high of 23,668.65.

Among the 30 Sensex companies, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, UltraTech Cement, State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the biggest gainers.

Adani Ports, Power Grid, Tata Steel and Asian Paints were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong were trading higher while Shanghai quoted lower.

U.S. markets ended on a mixed note on June 24.

India recorded a current account surplus of $5.7 billion or 0.6% of GDP in the March quarter, the Reserve Bank of India said on Monday.