Markets settle higher on buying in bank, auto stocks

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended higher on Friday amid buying in bank and auto stocks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 226.59 points or 0.29% to settle at 78,699.07. During the day, it jumped 570.67 points or 0.72% to 79,043.15.

The NSE Nifty went up by 63.20 points or 0.27% to 23,813.40.

From the 30 blue-chip pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Bajaj Finserv, Nestle and ICICI Bank were the biggest gainers.

State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Adani Ports, Zomato, UltraTech Cement and HCL Tech were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Tokyo and Shanghai settled higher while Seoul and Hong Kong ended lower.

European markets were trading in positive territory. US markets ended on a flat note on Thursday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.18% to $73.39 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹2,376.67 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

The BSE benchmark dipped 0.39 points to settle at 78,472.48 in a muted trade on Thursday. The Nifty eked out gains of 22.55 points or 0.1% to 23,750.20.