Sensex rises 712 pts, Nifty tops 17,150; Tata Steel rallies 7%, HDFC 2%

CLOSING BELL: Public sector banks were the only losers with the Nifty PSB index down 1.2 per cent

CLOSING BELL

Stock market highlights: Benchmark indices settled near the day's high on Friday as investors lapped up metal and IT shares, along with index heavyweights like Reliance Industries, HDFC twins, Sun Pharma, and Bajaj Finance.

The S&P BSE Sensex soared 712 points, or 1.25 per cent, to end at 57,570, while the Nifty50 shut shop at 17,158, up 229 points or 1.35 per cent. In the broader market, the BSE MidCap and SmallCap indices, too, added over 1 per cent each.

Sectorally, the Nifty Metal index climbed 4 per cent, followed by the Nifty IT index (2 per cent). Public sector banks were the only losers with the Nifty PSB index down 1.2 per cent.

Global markets

European markets advanced on Friday as investors digested a fresh swathe of corporate earnings and awaited key economic data out of the euro zone. The pan-European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.8 per cent by mid-morning, with construction and material stocks adding 2.4 per cent.

On Wall Street, Nasdaq Futures were up over 1 per cent, while Dow Jones and S&P Futures added up to 0.7 per cent.