Third straight gain for Sensex, up 384pts, Nifty tops 17k; Medplus up 41%

The broader markets also finished with significant gains with the BSE Midcap & Smallcap indices up 1 per cent and 0.7 per cent, respectively. IT, financials and energy shares were the top gainers.

Closing Bell

The key benchmark indices rallied for the third straight trading session as investors pinned hopes of a possible year-end rally, despite the Omicron threat.

The BSE benchmark index, the Sensex, opened with a positive gap of 320 points, and managed to survive with notable gains throughout the day in spite interim bouts of profit-taking. The BSE 30-share index touched a high of 57,491, but pared some gains to close at 57,315 - up 384 points.

The NSE Nifty touched a high of 17,119, and in doing so came tantalisingly close to its 20-DMA (Daily Moving