The BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty closed higher in a special trading session on Saturday, but fell 1-1.5 per cent for the week. Indices extended gains in late trade, led by banks, auto and metals stocks, while the upside was capped due to a fall in Reliance Industries, Bharti and Larsen & Toubro.
The BSE benchmark rose 53.09 points, or 0.31 per cent, to close at 17,187.34. The NSE benchmark closed above the 5,200 level after struggling at the same level since Thursday; it closed 18.40 points, or 0.35 per cent, higher at 5,209.
Banks led the markets higher on Saturday. The country’s third-largest private sector lender, Axis Bank, jumped 1.5 per cent, after reporting 25 per cent year-on-year growth for the March quarter on the back of higher interest income.
