India’s BSE Sensex pared early gains to end marginally up at 77,100.5 on Thursday, extending prior session's advance, as investors reduced positions in late trade ahead of a long weekend. Market sentiment continued to be supported by the ongoing pullback in crude oil prices amid signs of progress in US-Iran talks and improved traffic in the key Strait of Hormuz. Buying activity was concentrated in banking and automobile stocks, while IT and metals lagged. IndiGo (+4.6%), Mahindra & Mahindra (+4.2%) and Maruti (+3.8%) were among the top gainers.. Banks continued to benefit from the RBI’s decision to allow loans against foreign currency deposits. SBI and ICICI Bank gained 1% each, Kotak Mahindra Bank rose 0.7% and HDFC Bank added 0.4%. On the flip side, Power Grid (-2.4%), BEL (-1.7%), Tech Mahindra (-1.7%), Infosys (-1.4%) and Bharti Airtel (-1.4%) posted the biggest losses. For the week, the index rose 0.4%. The stock market will be shut on Friday, June 26, in observance of Muharram.