Mumbai, Sep 18 : The Indian equity indices extended the gaining momentum for the third consecutive session on Thursday amid buying in IT stocks after the US Fed announced a rate cut.Sensex closed at 83,013.96, up 320.25 points or 0.39 per cent. The 30-share index opened with a decent gap-up at 83,108.92 against the last session's closing of 82,693.71 after the US Fed announced a rate cut. However, the index remained range-bound throughout the session amid a mixed approach across sectors except IT. Nifty ended the session at 25,423.60, up 93.35 points or 0.37 per cent."Global equities traded in the green after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 bps to 4'4.25 per cent and signalled two more reductions this year to cushion rising job market risks. Mirroring the upbeat global sentiment, Indian markets opened with a positive gap-up and maintained a sideways trajectory through the first half of the session," Ashika Institutional Equities said in a note. Eternal, Sun Pharma, Infosys, HDFC Bank, PowerGrid, HCL Tech, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel, Axis Bank and Bajaj FinServ settled high amid the Sensex stocks. Bajaj Finance, Tata Motors, Trent, Ultratech Cement, and Asian Paints ended the session in negative territory.

The majority of sectoral indices remained in green amid value buying. Nifty Fin Services jumped 135 points or 0.51 per cent, Nifty Bank rose 234 points or 0.42 per cent, Nifty Auto moved up 34 points or 0.13 per cent, Nifty FMCG jumped up 201 points or 0.36 per cent, and Nifty IT surged 303 points or 0.83 per cent. Broader indices continued their bullish run amid buying in midcap and small-cap stocks. Nifty Small Cap 100 jumped 53 points or 0.29 per cent, Nifty Midcap 100 increased 224 points or 0.38 per cent, and Nifty 100 ended the session 91 points or 0.35 per cent high.

"Rupee closed weaker by 0.26 at 88.09 despite the dollar index staying soft post-Fed policy, where a rate cut was announced but forward guidance remained mixed as the roadmap for further cuts was unclear and data-dependent on jobs," said Jateen Trivedi of LKP Securities. The rupee failed to gain as FII sentiment remained cautious, while ongoing India-US trade talks will be the next key trigger. Support for the rupee lies near 87.75, while resistance is seen at 88.25, he added.

/IANS