Sensex ends special trading session above 74K; Nestle up 2%

Among stocks, India ended 2% higher as shareholders rejected increase in royalty payment to Nestle's parent unit. , which announced Q4 results on Friday, ended weaker by around 2%.

Shares of , which reported a profit of Rs 13 crore vs loss YoY in the March quarter, ended higher by 4%.

The sectoral performance was mixed, keeping traders engaged, with realty and pharma sectors posting modest gains, while banking and financial sectors remained subdued. Meanwhile, the broader market showed buoyancy, as midcap and smallcap indices increased between 0.4% and 0.8%.

" closing in record territory above 40,000 will continue to provide support for markets. However, in India, the election-related jitters might continue to cause high . A significant trend now is the turning buyers on Friday, and this takes away the pressure on the markets," said Dr. V K Vijayakumar of Geojit Financial Services.

At the technical level, Nifty remains within the channel, closing above 22,500 for the first time in several days.

"However, a small bodied candle on the daily chart suggests very little about the future direction of the price. Additionally, heavy writing is visible in both CALL and PUT at the 22,500 strike, indicating a sense of inflection. Therefore, traders need to be watchful in the initial hour to confirm any directional move. Support is visible at 22,400. On the higher end, a sustained move can take the index towards 22,600 and higher in the short term," said Rupak De of LKP Securities.

Global Markets
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 134.21 points, or 0.34%, to 40,003.59 — a close above the 40,000 mark for the first time. For the week, the Dow gained 1.2%, the S&P 500 rose 1.5% and the Nasdaq climbed 2.1%.

Data from earlier this week showing softening consumer prices in April, boosted expectations that the US central bank will be able to cut rates twice this year, beginning in September.

Currency Watch
The rupee appreciated 13 paise to close at 83.37 against the US dollar on Friday, tracking positive sentiment in domestic equity markets and fresh foreign fund inflows.

FII Flow
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned net buyers in the capital markets on Friday, as they bought shares worth Rs 1,616.79 crore, according to exchange data.

(With input fron agencies)