Dalal Street created history with the barometer Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex hitting the 15,000 level for the first time in intra-day trade on Friday. The National Stock Exchange S&P CNX Nifty also hit an all-time high above 4,400 as IT stocks led the bull surge.

The Sensex journey from 14,000 to 15,000 took almost seven months. The index had first hit 14,000 on December 5, 2006. In contrast, it had taken just 26 trading sessions for the Sensex to reach the 14,000 level after it had hit the 13,000-mark on October 30, 2006. It took about 17 months for the Sensex to move from the 10,000 level to 15,000. The barometer index had first struck the 10,000 mark on February 6, 2006.

Barring a small hiccup in early trade, the market headed higher with the passage of time as buying momentum continued unabated. Ahead of their results, IT shares dominated trading throughout the day. A fall in the rupee aided the rally in IT scrips. Buying was also seen in cement stocks, while banking shares saw profit booking. The BSE IT Index surged 3.31 per cent, and was the top gainer among the sectoral indices on the BSE.

After hitting a record high of 15,007.22 in intra-day trading, the Sensex closed with a gain of 102.23 points, or 0.69 per cent, to 14,964.12, an all-time closing high. The S&P CNX Nifty struck an all-time high of 4,411 in late-afternoon trade, and settled 30.90 points, or 0.71 per cent, higher at 4,384.85, an all-time closing high.

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