Mumbai, April 16 -- The headline equity benchmarks closed the session with solid gains, marking their third consecutive session in the green. After a sluggish, range-bound morning, the indices sprang to life in the second half, fueled by a surge in banking stocks.

The Nifty closed comfortably above the 23,400 mark, while the Sensex surged past 77,000-cheered on by reports that China is warming up to trade talks with the US. That glimmer of diplomatic hope lit a fire under investor sentiment.

Back home, a trifecta of positive vibes kept the bulls running: expectations of a normal monsoon, cooling retail inflation, and, importantly, no nasty surprises from global markets. The financial and banking sectors did the heavy lifting, while rota...