Sensex gains 149 pts ahead of RBI rate decision; Nifty tops 19,600; auto stocks rally

Equity benchmark indices closed higher on Wednesday, helped by fag-end buying in index majors Reliance Industries, ITC and M&M amid a positive start in European markets. Cautious trade prevailed in the markets for the most part of the day ahead of two major events — RBI’s monetary policy and the US inflation data — due to be announced on Thursday. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 149.31 points or 0.23 per cent to settle at 65,995.81. During the day, it fell by 402.12 points or 0.61 per cent to 65,444.38. The benchmark also touched a high of 66,066.01. The NSE Nifty gained 61.70 points or 0.32 per cent to end at 19,632.55.