Sensex zooms 137 pts, closes above 38k-mark for first time

Benchmark Sensex soared 137 points today to close above the 38,000-mark for the first time, while the broader Nifty too ended at a fresh lifetime high on unabated buying by participants.

ICICI Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging 4.64 per cent, followed by Axis Bank at 3.86 per cent and SBI 2.53 per cent.

The 30-share Sensex jumped 136.81 points, or 0.36 per cent, to end at 38,024.37, breaking its previous record close of 37,887.56 reached yesterday.

The index has taken 11 sessions to scale the 38,000 mark from 37,000 level reached on July 26.

The broader Nifty rose 20.70 points, or 0.18 per cent, to close at 11,470.70 -- surpassing its previous high of 11,450 reached yesterday.

Brokers said sentiment got a lift on uninterrupted foreign and domestic fund inflows amid strong corporate earnings.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 568.63 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities to the tune of Rs 30.25 crore yesterday, provisional data showed.