The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 142.87 points, or 0.17%, to 82,000.71, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 33.20 points, or 0.13%, closing above the 25,050 mark at 25,083.75.
Top Movers
On the 30-share Sensex, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Electronics led the advance, rising between 0.7% and 1.1%.
Reliance, the third-largest stock on the Nifty, gained 0.8% after J.P. Morgan reiterated its “overweight” rating, citing attractive valuations and multiple growth drivers.
Stocks have been rallying in recent sessions by expectations of Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms and S&P’s sovereign rating upgrade, with the Nifty up 2.4% and the Sensex climbing 2.2% over the past six days.
On Thursday, small-cap shares ended flat, while mid-caps slipped 0.4%. Financials added 0.3%, lifted by ICICI Prudential Life and SBI Life, after a panel of state finance ministers recommended exempting individual health and life insurance premiums from GST to spur demand.
Technology stocks edged higher, with the IT index up 0.1%, as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday for signals on the U.S. central bank’s rate outlook.