Nifty Bank hits fresh high as ArcelorMittal to close Essar Steel deal today

Investors, however, booked profit at most banking counters with shares of SBI, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, YES Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, and The Federal Bank down up 2.7 per cent.

Nifty Bank index held its gains above the crucial 32,000-mark, and hit a record high of 32,186.95 in the opening deals on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on expectations that ArcelorMittal could complete payment worth Rs 42,000-crore in the Essar Steel case to the lenders. For the world’s largest steel maker, the timeline of one month for the full payment ends on Monday. 

Individually, State Bank of India (SBI) gained 1.4 per cent to hit a high of Rs 337.55 apiece on the NSE in the early deals. According to lenders, the funds (from ArcelorMittal) are in a SBI account