Nifty soars by 79 points to open at 13,135 points, Sensex opens at record-high of 44,776 points

The NSE Nifty 50 index was up 0.59% at 13132.15 by 0400 GMT, while the SandP BSE Sensex was 0.56% higher at 44,771.29. Both indexes hit record highs.

Indian shares hit another record high on Wednesday led by a jump in banking stocks, as investor sentiment remained upbeat globally on US President-elect Joe Biden’s White House transition and the prospect of imminent COVID-19 vaccines.

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai. (Bloomberg)

The NSE Nifty 50 index was up 0.59% at 13132.15 by 0400 GMT, while the S&P BSE Sensex was 0.56% higher at 44,771.29. Both indexes hit record highs.

HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank were the top two boosts to the Nifty 50.

The Nifty PSU banking index that tracks India’s state-owned lenders advanced 3.2%. State Bank of India rose 2%, while Bank of Baroda jumped 5%.