Sensex climbs 87.6 points to 71,194.56 in early trade; Nifty up 40.25 points to 21,389.65

Rupee turns flat at 83.16 against US dollar in early trade.

Sensex climbs 87.6 points to 71,194.56 in early trade; Nifty up 40.25 points to 21,389.65. On Wednesday (December 20) Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty hit their fresh all-time high levels in early trade amid a firm trend in global markets along with buying in stocks of IT companies and Reliance Industries.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 475.88 points to 71,913.07 -- its all-time peak -- in early trade. The Nifty climbed 138.8 points to reach its record high of 21,591.90.

Among the Sensex firms, Wipro, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, NTPC and HDFC Bank were the major gainers. Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti, Axis Bank and Hindustan Unilever were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong quoted in the positive territory while Shanghai traded lower. The BSE benchmark climbed 122.10 points or 0.17 per cent to settle at 71,437.19 on Tuesday. The Nifty went up by 34.45 points or 0.16 per cent to 21,453.10.