Mumbai, Oct. 17 -- The key equity benchmarks ended higher for the third straight session, supported by renewed foreign inflows, easing U.S. bond yields, a stronger rupee, and festive optimism. The Nifty closed above the 25,700 mark, lifted by gains in FMCG, healthcare, and consumer durables stocks, while IT and metal counters edged lower. The Nifty Bank index touched a record high of 57,830.20 on expectations of strong earnings from major lenders.

The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 484.53 points or 0.58% to 83,952.19. The Nifty 50 added 124.55 points or 0.49% to 25,709.85. In the past three trading sessions, the Sensex and Nifty jumped 2.34% and 2.24% each, respectively.

Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.45%), ICICI Bank (up 1.38%) and Reliance Indust...