By IANS
Mumbai : The rally in Indian shares continued Wednesday in a choppy trade, with a key index gaining 0.50 percent at close after touching a new intra-session high led by cement stocks and private sector lender ICICI Bank.
The benchmark 30-share Sensitive Index ('Sensex') of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) settled at 14,880.24 level, up 73.73 points or 0.5 percent at close after hitting an all-time high of 14,906.93.
However, the broader 50-issue National Stock Exchange (NSE) index, Nifty, ended nearly flat at 4,359.30, up 1.75 points or 0.04 percent, after hitting a record high of 4,386.45.
Cement major ACC was the top gainer among the Sensex stocks, up 8.98 percent at Rs.1,022.55, followed by its rival Gujarat Ambuja Cements, up 4.46 percent at Rs.129.95, and top steel producer Tata Steel, up 2.61 percent at Rs.616.40.
Though most banking stocks witnessed selling pressures, ICICI Bank made good gains, up 1.98 percent at Rs.985.35.
Drug major Cipla, thermal power energy producer NTPC, top engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro, fast moving consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever, top multi-utility vehicle maker Tata Motors and textile producer Grasim Industries also ended higher.
State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp led the losers, down 1.54 percent at Rs.874.25, followed by third largest software exporter Wipro, down 1.20 percent at Rs.508.95, and state-run top lender State Bank of India, down 1.20 percent at Rs.1,563.40.
Technology stocks continued to take the beating. Top software exporter Tata Consultancy Services and its smaller rival Infosys Technologies traded in the red.
The other major index losers included Housing Development Finance Corp, aluminium major Hindalco, Reliance Energy and top two-wheeler maker Hero Honda.