paragraph

(PTI) Equity markets extended their rally on Friday, with the Sensex and Nifty jumping over 1 per cent each, in tandem with a positive trend in global equities.

Buying in Infosys and banking counters helped markets maintain their winning run.

The 30-share BSE Sensex rallied 632.13 points or 1.17 per cent to settle at 54,884.66. During the day, the benchmark zoomed 684.1 points or 1.26 per cent to 54,936.63.

The broader NSE Nifty jumped 182.30 points or 1.13 per cent to end at 16,352.45.

From the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, IndusInd Bank, Wipro, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Bajaj Finserv, Larsen &amp; Toubro and HCL Technologies were the prominent gainers.

In contrast, NTPC, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid, Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, Asian Paints and Nestle were the laggards.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong ended higher.

Markets in Europe were also trading in the positive territory in the afternoon trade.

Stock markets in the US had ended significantly higher on Thursday.

"Joining the global rally, the investors were in a buying mood following favourable retail earnings in the US. Receding FII selling also provided comfort to the domestic market in bringing down volatility," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

International oil benchmark Brent crude gained 0.95 per cent to USD 118.5 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors continued their selling spree as they offloaded shares worth a net ₹1,597.84 crore on Thursday, as per stock exchange data. &nbsp;

Market Wrap: Sensex, Nifty rally over 1% amid firm global trends

Buying in Infosys and banking counters helped markets maintain their winning run.

Despite low valuations, should you buy banking stocks amid interest rate hikes?

Hindalco Q4 Results: After upbeat performance, should investors hold or sell the stock of aluminium major?

The long-term outlook on the specialty chemical industry remains robust, says Bhawana Israni of Anand Rathi

V-Mart Retail stock jumps more than 5%; brokerages remain positive after Q4 numbers

As foreign outflows continue, BofA Securities prefer defensive stocks more

Brokerage firm Anand Rathi retains a buy on Indian Hotels; here's why

Why Phillip Capital sees 35% upside in this fashion and retail stock

PSBs to pay record ₹7,867 crore dividends to govt this year: Report

Limited impact of oil prices seen on India's Q4 GDP growth: Report

Sensex rises almost 1300 points this week despite headwinds; what is underpinning market sentiment?

<ul><li>The fall in crude oil and other commodity prices seems to have boosted the mood of the market. Besides, RBI's efforts to arrest the fall of the rupee and improvement in macroeconomic indicators are also supporting the market.</li></ul>

Bitcoin holds steady over $20,000; Ethereum and other altcoins in green

The world's largest cryptocurrency, was up on the day slightly 1.21 percent, trading at $20,400 while Ether rose 3.17 percent to 1,174 over the previous day.

Valuations of Asian stocks hit lowest since March 2020

The MSCI Asia-Pacific index's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) stood at 12.1 at the end of last month, which was the region's cheapest valuation since March 2020, Refinitiv data showed.

TCS Q1 Results: Analysts expect mixed numbers; impact of macro headwinds key

<ul><li>Owing to a sharp rise in inflation and rate hikes, the risk of a recession has increased and most brokerage firms and analysts believe IT companies may see their demand scenario shrinking.</li></ul>

New Investor? Learn what are flag chart patterns and how to trade with them

A popular technical analysis tool, flag patterns are formed by price action contained within a narrow rectangle-shaped or a flag-shaped channel. To learn more about it, keep reading.