Mumbai, March 24 -- The key equity benchmarks ended with substantial gains on Monday, rising for the sixth consecutive trading session, driven by strong foreign fund inflows that boosted market sentiment and investor confidence. Trading could remain volatile this week, with a slew of economic data expected from overseas region. The Nifty ended above the 23,650 mark.

As per the provisional closing, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 1,078.87 points, or 1.40%, to 77,984.38. The Nifty 50 index rallied 307.95 points, or 1.32%, to 23,658.35. In the past six trading sessions, the Sensex and Nifty both surged by 5.63%.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 1.32%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index jumped 1.17%.

The...