New Delhi, April 23 -- Domestic equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty 50 rose for the sixth straight session to log their highest closing levels in nearly four months, fuelled by gains in heavyweight financials after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed the deposit buffer rules for lenders.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 187.09 points or 0.24 per cent to settle at 79,595.59. During the day, it jumped 415.8 points or 0.52 per cent to 79,824.30. The NSE Nifty rose by 41.70 points or 0.17 per cent to 24,167.25.

This was the sixth session of gains for the benchmarks. The Nifty Bank index rose 0.6 per cent and hit a record high for the second consecutive session, with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank hitting record high levels for a third straight...