Closing Bell: Bulls celebrate Holi on Dalal Street, all sectors coloured in green

Holi was celebrated early on Dalal Street as positive global cues pushed the Indian market higher.

The positive global cues of softening oil prices and progress in Russia- Ukraine cease-fire talks negotiations were reflected by gains in the stock markets today. All the sectoral indices on the NSE finished in the green with major gainers being consumer durables, realty, and financial stocks.   

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, went down by 10.06 per cent to 26.83 levels. The Nifty 50 index closed by gaining by 322 points and at 17,297 levels, Bank Nifty has also gone up by 634 points and ended the day at 36,383. The Sensex settled at 57,863 soaring by 1047 points. Sensex MidCap index has zoomed today by 251 points and ended the day at 23,824 levels. and the BSE SmallCap has shot up by 322 points and closed at 27,706 at day end.  

On the BSE Sensex today the top stocks were Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, Reliance Industries, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and Tata Steel. On the other hand, the top losers were HCL Technologies and Infosys. 

The total stocks traded today were 3529, out of which 2110 advanced and 1298 stocks declined, 123 stocks were unchanged. The number of stocks that were locked in the upper circuit are 329 and 219 stocks were locked in the lower circuit today. The numbers of stocks that have made 52-week high are 123 and 19 stocks made a 52-week low today. 

The Indian stock market will remain closed on Friday on account of the Holi festival and will reopen on March 21.