Stock market highlights: After initial hours of volatility, the benchmark indices staged a steady rally where the Nifty50 inched closer to the 20,000-mark. The 50-pack index hit a fresh record high of 19,992 in the intra-day trade before settling at 19,979, up 146 points or 0.74 per cent.
The S&P BSE Sensex, meanwhile, touched a new peak of 67,616, before closing at 67,572, up 474 points or 0.7 per cent.
ITC, which ruled 2.75 per cent higher, was the top gainer on the frontline indices and became the seventh company to have a market capitalisation over Rs 6 trillion. At close, the company's m-cap stood at Rs 6.12 trillion.
That apart, Kotak Bank, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Maruti Suzuki, SBI, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank, and HUL were the top gainers, gaining between 1 per cent and 2.6 per cent.
In the broader market, the BSE MidCap ended flat, while the BSE SmallCap index gained 0.19 per cent.
Among sectors, the Nifty Pharma and FMCG indices added 1.3 per cent each, and the Nifty Bank and Private Bank indices rose 1 per cent each.
RIL demerger: Jio Financial Services listing
The market discovered price of Jio Financial Services as Rs 261.85 per share, much higher than most brokerages’ estimates. The resultant ex-JFS value of Reliance Industries came around Rs 2,589. The shares, eventually, settled at Rs 2,624.
 "Markets end at record closing highs; Sensex tops 67,500, Nifty nears 20,000")
