Sensex, Nifty soar to lifetime highs as Samvat 2077 gets off to bright start
Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmarks surged to lifetime highs on Saturday as investors built up fresh positions in the special Muhurat trading session to mark the beginning of Hindu Samvat year 2077.
The 30-share BSE Sensex soared 194.98 points or 0.45 percent to close at a record 43,637.98. Intra-day, it hit its all-time high of 43,830.93.
On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty advanced 60.30 points, or 0.47 percent, to finish at its lifetime high of 12,780.25. It touched an intra-day record of 12,828.70 during the session.
In the Sensex kitty, prominent gainers were Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finserv, ITC, Infosys, HDFC Bank, and ONGC, spurting up to 1.17 percent.
Only four constituents closed in the red -- PowerGrid, Titan, UltraTech Cement, and Bajaj Finance, which shed up to 0.32 percent.
Brokers said buying activity gathered momentum as investors opened their new books on the first session of Samvat 2077.
All BSE sectoral indices finished in the green, led by oil and gas, telecom, industrials, realty, tech, and energy.
A similar trend was seen in the broader markets, with the BSE small-cap index jumping 0.84 percent and the mid-cap gauge gaining 0.62 percent.
Domestic markets conduct a special one-hour Muhurat trading session on Diwali every year to mark the beginning of the traditional Hindu calendar year, called 'Vikram Samvat'.
In the previous Samvat 2076, the BSE Sensex gained 4,384.94 points or 11.22 percent, while the Nifty rallied 1,136.05 points or 9.80 percent.
The BSE and NSE will remain closed on Monday (November 16) on the occasion of 'Diwali Balipratipada'.
Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 1,935.92 crore on Friday, while domestic institutional investors sold to the tune of Rs 2,462.42 crore, as per provisional exchange data.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
