Mumbai, Jan. 29 -- Domestic equity benchmarks closed with modest gains on Thursday, rising for the third straight session, as bargain buying and supportive economic signals helped offset expiry-led volatility. Both the Sensex and the Nifty bounced back sharply from intraday lows to finish higher on the Sensex monthly F&O expiry day.

Sentiment was buoyed by the Economic Survey's FY27 growth outlook of 6.8%-7.2% and by foreign institutional investors turning buyers on Wednesday after a 15-session selling streak. With investor attention squarely on the Union Budget 2026 due on February 1, the Nifty ended above the 25,400 level, supported by strength in metal and private banking stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex jumped 221.69 points or 0.27% to 82...