Sensex hits 20K, ends up 709pts at 19,952

The Sensex opened with a positive gap of 378 points at 19,621, and then there was no looking back. Sustained buying across-the-board, saw the index zoom past the 20,000-mark in late noon deals.

The index touched a fresh all-time intra-day high of 20,025. The Sensex finally ended (provisional) with a gain of 709 at 19,952.

Anil Advani, Head of Research, SBI Capital Markets, said: "Lot of foreign money has been coming to India, which has driven the market to new  highs. This is a case of excess liquidity, but there could be a sluggish period when FIIs cash out in December. The impact of the P-notes curb well be seen slowly over 18 months."