The BSE Sensex rose 770 points, or 0.9%, to 85,196 in morning trade on Thursday, extending gains from the Muhurat "special" trading day on Tuesday and hitting its highest level since September 26, 2024, buoyed by renewed foreign inflows. Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 rose above the milestone mark of 26,000. Optimism over domestic demand during the festive season, along with recent GST rate cuts, lifted sentiment and raised hopes of positive corporate profits for FY 2025/26. Signs of a soon-to-be-finalized trade deal between the U.S. and India further fueled market enthusiasm. Almost all sectors traded in the green, led by the technology and banking sectors, which rose by 2.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Infosys jumped 3.6% following its proposed buyback announcement, where promoters do not intend to participate. Other gainers included HCL Tech (2.8%), Tech Mahindra (2.5%), Axis Bank (2.2%), and Kotak Mahindra Bank (1.8%).