Benchmarks extended their winning run after a sharp weekly rally, with buying in blue-chip banking and financial stocks and a correction in crude oil prices supporting the gains. BSE Sensex had surged 6,568.49 points, or 8.82%, in the previous week, while NSE Nifty advanced 1,977.25 points, or 8.57%.
In the subsequent session on Monday, the 30-share Sensex climbed 107.25 points, or 0.13%, to settle at 81,106.65. It had touched an intraday high of 81,339.41, gaining 340.01 points, or 0.41%. The Nifty rose 58.25 points, or 0.23%, to close at 25,044.65.
Among Sensex constituents, State Bank of India, Trent, Larsen & Toubro, NTPC, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank were among the leading gainers. HCL Tech, Tata Steel, UltraTech Cement and Bajaj Finance, however, featured among the major laggards. Meanwhile, Brent crude declined 1.04% to $97.46 per barrel.
