Mumbai, March 21 -- The domestic equity benchmarks closed with substantial gains on Friday, rising for the fifth day in a row. This sustained rally was primarily driven by renewed foreign fund inflows into the cash market over the past two trading sessions, significantly bolstering investor confidence. The Nifty index closed just above the 23,350 mark, with media, energy, and PSU bank sectors experiencing strong demand. Conversely, the consumer durables, metals, and IT sectors faced declines.

The S&P BSE Sensex surged 557.45 points, or 0.73%, to 76,905.51. The Nifty 50 index rallied 159.75 points, or 0.69%, to 23,350.40. In the five consecutive sessions, the Sensex and the Nifty have jumped 4.16% and 4.25%, respectively.

Bajaj Finance (...