BSE Sensex hits record high as lenders extend rally

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex and Nifty jumped nearly 1.5 percent on Monday to a record, surpassing their previous all-time highs hit just last week, as lenders including ICICI Bank extended a recent rally on the back of strong foreign investor flows.

The Nifty ended 1.34 percent higher after marking a lifetime high of 6,591.50, while the Sensex finished 1.38 percent up after touching a record high of 22,074.34, surpassing their previous milestones hit on March 18.

Banks led the gains on optimism about a recovery in the domestic economy and bets the Reserve Bank of India would keep interest rates on hold for now at its policy review on April 1.

 

The Nifty provisionally rose 2.9 percent, with ICICI Bank rising 3.6 percent while HDFC Bank gained 2.8 percent after marking its record high of 752.90 rupees.

(Reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)