Mumbai, Aug. 20 -- Domestic equities ended marginally higher on Wednesday, with the benchmarks extending their winning run to a fifth straight session. Gains were led by strong buying in IT, realty, and FMCG counters, helping the Nifty close above the 25,000 mark.

Optimism was underpinned by steady domestic inflows and supportive macroeconomic trends, even as analysts cautioned that stretched valuations and external risks, such as U.S. tariffs, remain headwinds.

Globally, investors turned watchful ahead of the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes later in the day and the U.S. Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium scheduled for August 21-23. The event is expected to provide critical signals on the Fed's policy p...