Markets maintain momentum for second straight day; bank stocks rally

NTPC, Kotak Bank, Nestle India, M&M, Dr Reddy's and Axis Bank were the other laggards, shedding up to 0.54 per cent.

The Sensex and Nifty defied gravity for the second straight session on Tuesday following brisk buying in market heavyweight Reliance Industries as well as banking and finance counters.

Shrugging off the Covid-19 crisis, the 30-share BSE Sensex opened in the green and gained further momentum during the session. It finally finished at 48,944.14, up 557.63 points or 1.15 per cent. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty surged 168.05 points or 1.16 per cent to end at 14,653.05.

L&T topped the Sensex gainers' chart, climbing 3.33 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finance, Reliance Industries, IndusInd Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel.

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