Markets scale fresh peaks

Benchmarks Sensex and Nifty finished at lifetime highs for the third session in a row on Wednesday, on robust buying momentum triggered by the early onset of monsoon and upbeat quarterly earnings. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose 76.17 points, or 0.25 per cent to end at 30,659, while the broader Nifty finished at 9,526, up 13.50 points, or 0.14 per cent.

Persistent buying and foreign fund inflows offset the impact of global volatility sparked by US President Donald Trump's unexpected firing of the FBI chief, brokers said.

The Sensex has now gained 470.62 points in the three consecutive sessions.

“Investors are gearing up for the two-day GST (goods and services tax) council meet beginning tomorrow (Thursday) for getting clarity on rates...continued buying from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and announcement of good quarterly results is keeping a positive vibe in the market,” said Vinod Nair, head of research, Geojit Financial Services.

Continuing their purchasing spree, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 858.29 crore on Tuesday, according to the provisional data from the stock exchanges.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.17 per cent, Japan's Nikkei shed 0.53 per cent, while Shanghai Composite finished 0.27 per cent lower. London's FTSE fell from its record closing due to political uncertainty in the US.

In the Euro zone, Frankfurt's DAX slid 0.80 per cent while the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.6 per cent in early deals.