Sensex rises 232 points, Nifty settles above 23,700; banking heavyweights lead the rally, while pharma stocks drag.

Today Equity benchmarks closed higher on Friday, supported by strong buying in leading banking and financial stocks such as $HDFCBANK , $ICICIBANK , and $AXISBANK , while weakness in pharma counters including $SUNPHARMA gains. The Sensex advanced 231.99 points or 0.31% to close at 75,415.35, while the Nifty gained 64.60 points or 0.27% to settle at 23,719.30. Market breadth remained positive, with 2,026 shares advancing against 1,827 declining stocks. The Nifty Bank index outperformed, rising over 1% on the back of strength in private lenders and financial majors, whereas the Nifty Pharma and Healthcare indices ended among the top laggards. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.