New Delhi, Feb. 2 -- After a sharp 2% crash during the special trading session on Sunday, dragged by concerns over a higher STT, the Nifty 50 staged a smart rebound in Monday's session, surging 263 points, or 1.06%, to recover about half of the previous day's losses and settle above the 25,000 mark at 25,088.

The rally was largely led by auto stocks, as sentiment towards the sector improved following higher-than-expected January wholesale figures, while value buying in select heavyweights also supported the market's recovery.

In addition, a recovery in metal stocks aided sentiment, while a sharp retreat in crude oil prices led most oil and gas stocks to close with solid gains.

Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research at Religare Broking, said, "Mark...