Stock markets rally after RBI keeps repo rate unchanged

Mumbai: Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty rallied for a second straight session on Friday after the Reserve Bank maintained the status quo on policy rates, resulting in gains for rate-sensitive sectors like financial, realty and auto.

A firm trend in Asian and European markets also bolstered the investors' sentiment, traders said. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 364.06 points or 0.55 per cent to settle at 65,995.63. During the day, it jumped 464.24 points or 0.70 per cent to hit 66,095.81. The Nifty advanced 107.75 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 19,653.50. Among the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finserv jumped nearly 6 per cent, and Bajaj Finance climbed nearly 4 per cent.

Titan surged 2.98 per cent, followed by IndusInd Bank, ITC, JSW Steel, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Maruti. Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, Bharti Airtel and HDFC Bank were among the laggards. The Reserve Bank of India expectedly left its key interest rate unchanged on Friday as inflation remains a major risk and signalled it would keep liquidity tight using bond sales to bring prices closer to target.

The monetary policy committee, which has three members from the central bank and a similar number of external members, held the benchmark repurchase rate (repo) at 6.50 per cent in a unanimous decision for the fourth consecutive meeting in a row. It retained a 'withdrawal of accommodation' stance. In Asian markets, Seoul and Hong Kong ended in positive territory while Tokyo settled lower. European markets were trading in the green. The US markets ended marginally lower on Thursday. Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.02 per cent to USD 83.94 a barrel. The BSE benchmark had climbed 405.53 points or 0.62 per cent to settle at 65,631.57 points on Thursday. The Nifty had advanced 109.65 points or 0.56 per cent to end at 19,545.75 points. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,864.20 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.