July 3: Indian benchmark equity indices continued their rally on July 3, with the BSE Sensex ending above the 65,000 mark for the first time ever, while the NSE Nifty climbed 133.50 points or 0.70% to end at a record high of 19,322.55.

Hectic buying in index majors Reliance Industries, ITC and HDFC twins also added to the market momentum, traders said.

Rallying for the fourth straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 486.49 points or 0.75% to settle at its all-time closing high of 65,205.05. During the day, it rallied 581.79 points or 0.89% to its lifetime intra-day high of 65,300.35.

The NSE Nifty climbed 133.50 points or 0.70% to end at a record high of 19,322.55. In intra-day trade, the benchmark zoomed 156.05 points or 0.81% to hit its all-time intra-day peak of 19,345.10. Market benchmarks settled at record highs for the third straight session on Monday.

Reliance Industries was the top gainer in the Sensex chart, rising 2.53%, followed by ITC, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, HDFC, UltraTech Cement, NTPC, HDFC Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finserv and ICICI Bank.

In contrast, Power Grid, Maruti, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Nestle and Tata Motors were among the laggards, skidding up to 1.86%.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong ended in the green.

Equity markets in Europe were trading in the positive territory.

These remarkable gains reflect the growing optimism among investors as inflationary pressures in the United States appear to be moderating. This development has sparked renewed confidence in the equity markets, propelling Indian shares to unprecedented heights. (Agencies)