India’s equity benchmark indices edged higher today with Sensex surging over 300 points and Nifty snapping its three-day fall to settle above 24,900.

At the closing bell, the Sensex, which is a pack of 30 companies was up 376 points or 0.5 per cent at 81,560 and the NSE Nifty was also up 84 points or 0.3 per cent at 24,936.      

In the NSE, 123 companies hit their 52-week high, and 41 hit their 52-week low.

In the broader market at the BSE, the Mid-Cap index slipped 0.28 per cent and the Small-Cap index fell more than half a per cent. In the Sensex index, 16 out of 30 Companies registered gains.

The top gainers today were, Hindustan Unilever surged nearly three per cent, ICICI Bank added nearly two and a half per cent, and ITC advanced nearly two per cent. Conversely, the major laggards were, Tech Mahindra lost more than two and a half per cent, NTPC and Tata Steel shed more than one per cent and Tata Motors declined nearly one per cent.

In Sectoral Indices at the BSE, 15 out of 20 Sectors traded in loss.

The top laggards were Oil and Gas which lost more than one and a half per cent, Energy more than one per cent and Metal more than half per cent.

The top gainers today were, FMCG which got an uptick of 1.65 per cent, Bankex more than one per cent and Consumer Durables more than half per cent.

The overall market breadth at the BSE was negative as out of 4,181 Companies, shares of 1,650 Companies advanced, 2,390 declined and 141 remained unchanged.