Nifty ends near 10,000 mark, Sensex closes higher by 222 points

Major Indian Benchmark indices displayed strong positive sentiment on Friday. Nifty closed at 9,979 level, higher by 91 points while Sensex closed at 31,814 level, up by 222 points.
 
The hike in the Nifty and Sensex can be largely attributed to the positive sentiment brought in the market by media reports that the government will lower GST tax rates of about 60 goods and services. The rate cut is likely to bring a major relief to exporters as well as SMEs. 

In the broader markets, BSE Mid-cap index ended at 15,840 level, higher by 148 points whereas BSE Small-cap index ended at 16,626 level, up by 177 points.
 
The markets witnessed 1,136 advances, 511 declines and 320 unchanged stocks on NSE, suggesting strong positive sentiments in the market. Metal and Banking stocks were the top performing stocks on the bourses on Friday. Reliance, Tata Steel and Infosys became the top contributors to Nifty and Sensex during the day’s trade. Reliance ending at Rs 837 per share, higher by 1.55 per cent.
 
Among the sectoral indices, Nifty Metal index became the top gainer on NSE, closing at 3,711 level, higher by 3.14 per cent. Bank Nifty index ended at 24,190 level, higher by 0.55 per cent. Punjab National Bank was the top gainer in the index, ending at Rs 137.3 per share, up by 3.74 per cent.