Sensex rises 221 pts, L&T major driver

Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed higher on Thursday, helped by a rally in blue-chip Larsen & Toubro and the Economic Survey projecting the GDP growth of 6.8-7.2% for the next fiscal.
Erasing its early losses, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 221.69 points or 0.27% to settle at 82,566.37. During the morning trade, it tanked 636.74 points or 0.77% to 81,707.94.
The 50-share NSE Nifty edged higher by 76.15 points or 0.30% to end at 25,418.90. The broader index fell 182.95 points or 0.72% to a low of 25,159.80 in early trade. A rally in global markets and fresh foreign fund inflows helped key indices recover from lows, analysts said. From the 30 Sensex firms, Tata Steel jumped the most by 4.41%.
The Economic Survey 2025-26 on Thursday projected GDP growth of 6.8-7.2% for the next fiscal year.
The ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement with the US are expected to conclude during the year, a development that could help reduce uncertainty on the external front, according to the Economic Survey.
“Domestic markets ended higher after staging a strong rebound, supported by an upbeat economic survey that reaffirmed a robust FY27 growth outlook and a well-anchored inflation environment amidst persistent global uncertainties,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
Foreign institutional investors turned buyers on Wednesday after days of offloading stocks, according to exchange data. They bought stocks worth Rs 480.26 crore. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) also bought equities worth Rs 3,360.59 crore.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index ended higher.
Markets in Europe were trading higher. US markets ended flat on Wednesday.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 2.50% to USD 70.11 per barrel.
On Wednesday, the Sensex jumped 487.20 points or 0.60% to settle at 82,344.68. The Nifty surged 167.35 points or 0.66% to end at 25,342.75.