Sensex, Nifty scale record highs on rate cut hopes

Market Performance - Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty reached new lifetime highs during intra-day trade, closing slightly higher due to positive global trends and expectations of a US Fed rate cut [1][6] - The BSE Sensex increased by 110.87 points or 0.13% to close at 85,720.38, hitting a record high of 86,055.86 during the day, which is a rise of 446.35 points or 0.52% [2] - The NSE Nifty ended up by 10.25 points or 0.04% at 26,215.55, with an intra-day peak of 26,310.45, reflecting a gain of 105.15 points or 0.40% [3] Sector Performance - Major gainers among Sensex firms included Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finserv, HCL Tech, and HDFC Bank [3] - Conversely, Maruti, Eternal, UltraTech Cement, and State Bank of India were identified as laggards [4] Foreign and Domestic Investment - Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth ₹4,778.03 crore on Wednesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth ₹6,247.93 crore in the previous trade [4] Global Market Influence - The Indian markets were buoyed by improved global risk appetite, driven by rising expectations of an interest-rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, which provided a strong tailwind for domestic markets [6] - Brent crude oil prices slightly decreased by 0.05% to $63.10 per barrel [6]