New Delhi, 17 February (H.S.): Indian equity benchmarks closed in positive territory on Tuesday, the week's second trading session, extending gains for the second consecutive day.The BSE Sensex surged 173.81 points, or 0.21 percent, to settle at 83,450.96, having fluctuated between a high of 83,598 and a low of 82,987.43 during the session.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty advanced 42.65 points, or 0.17 percent, closing at 25,725.40, buoyed by strength in banking, IT, and capital goods sectors.In the 30-share Sensex pack, gainers included ITC, Bharat Electronics Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Infosys, Asian Paints, Titan, Adani Ports, HCL Technologies, Sun Pharma, Maruti Suzuki India, IndiGo, State Bank of India, and Tech Mahindra.

Conversely, laggards comprised Eternal, Tata Steel, Trent, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Hindustan Unilever.Japan's Nikkei ended lower among Asian markets, while China, Hong Kong, and South Korea remained closed for Lunar New Year holidays; major European indices traded higher midday.Brent crude futures dipped 0.79 percent to $68.13 per barrel.

Notably, on Monday, the Sensex had risen 650.39 points to 83,277.15, with the Nifty gaining 211.65 points to 25,682.75.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar