Sensex sprints to 60,000: Latest 5,000-pt rally comes in record 28 sessions

In the past 18 months, a record number of first-time investors have entered the market

The relentless rally in the domestic market drove the Sensex past the 60,000 mark on Friday, but weakness in global bourses due to the debt crisis at China Evergrande Group marred celebrations and resulted in the index shedding about 300 points from the day’s high.

The Sensex ended the session at 60,048 with a gain of 163 points, or 0.27 per cent. It touched an intra-day high of 60,333. The Nifty, on the other hand, closed at 17,853, gaining 30 points, or 0.17 per cent.

The latest 5,000-point rally for the Sensex has come in record 28 trading sessions. The index had