Sensex reclaims early-August levels, Nifty 1% shy as ₹28 lakh crore added in six sessions

Benchmarks indices extended their rally for a sixth straight session on Thursday, with the Sensex reclaiming its August 3 closing level and the Nifty 50 moving to within 1% of its early-August mark. The latest surge added nearly ₹8 lakh crore to the market capitalisation of BSE -listed companies in a single session, taking their combined value above ₹500 lakh crore for the first time.

The Sensex jumped 2,008.61 points, or 2.60%, to close at 79,310.01, while the Nifty advanced 576 points, or 2.40%, to settle at 24,536.60. Both benchmarks posted their biggest single-day gains in seven months and extended their winning run to six sessions — the longest such streak since November 2025.

Sensex moves past August levels, Nifty nears recovery

Over the six sessions, the Sensex has gained 8.28%, while the Nifty is up 6.98%. The Sensex is now 0.85% above its August 3 close of 78,639.03. The Nifty, which ended at 24,774.30 on that day, remains 0.96% below the level.

The stats shows how sharply the benchmarks have recovered after the correction that took the Nifty to a 2026 low of 22,179.90 on October 8. The latest rally has brought the index close to its early-August level, although it has yet to fully erase the decline.

BSE market capitalisation crosses ₹500 lakh crore

Market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies rose by about ₹7.91 lakh crore on Thursday to ₹501.35 lakh crore, from ₹493.44 lakh crore in the previous session. Over the six sessions since October 28, the total market value has increased by ₹27.81 lakh crore, from ₹473.54 lakh crore.

Financials, auto stocks lead; crude oil fall supports sentiment

Financials and auto stocks led Thursday’s gains. The Nifty Bank rose 1,860 points, or 3.33%, to 57,773.65, its biggest single-day gain since April, while the Nifty Financial Services and Nifty Auto indices climbed 3.99% and 4.14%, respectively.

Bajaj Finance led the Nifty 50 gainers, rising 7.65%, followed by Shriram Finance (6.08%), Mahindra & Mahindra (5.59%), Maruti Suzuki (5.48%) and IndiGo (5.43%). Apollo Hospitals , ONGC and NTPC were among the notable laggards.

The rally was supported by a sharp fall in crude oil prices, improved global risk appetite after the US midterm election results and renewed foreign investor buying. Foreign investors bought ₹7,284 crore worth of Indian shares on Wednesday, their largest single-day purchase since October 2025. Brent crude, which fell 8.7% in the previous session, was trading around $96 a barrel after a modest rebound on Thursday.

Despite the recovery, both benchmark indices remain down more than 6% so far in 2026