The Nifty rose on Monday to a third consecutive record high, while the Sensex surpassed 26,000 points, riding on gains in technology stocks ahead of Infosys Ltd's results and hopes of a fiscally prudent budget.
Foreign investors continued to support shares, buying a net $157 million on Friday, a sixth straight session of purchases. Overseas investors have bought $10.54 billion worth of Indian shares so far this year, regulatory and exchange data showed. Investors are hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will deliver a fiscally prudent budget that increases revenue from asset sales while controlling spending.
The Sensex ended 0.53 per cent higher at 26,100.08, a record closing high. Earlier in the day, it rose 0.62 per cent to an all-time high of 26,123.55. The Nifty ended 0.46 per cent higher at 7,787.15 after rising as much as 0.52 per cent to hit a record high of 7,792, the third session in a row.
