Indian benchmark indices continued their upward momentum on Wednesday, marking a fourth consecutive session of gains as the Nifty closed close to the 24,100 mark.

The BSE Sensex climbed 347.14 points, or 0.45 percent, to settle at 77,155.62, while the NSE Nifty advanced 96.55 points, or 0.40 percent, to end the day at 24,085.70.

Investor wealth expanded significantly during the session, with the total market capitalisation of listed companies rising by Rs 2.92 lakh crore to Rs 475.17 lakh crore, up from Rs 472.24 lakh crore in the previous session.

Among sectoral indices, Consumer Durables emerged as the top performer with a gain of 2.11 percent. PSU Banks and Metal stocks also witnessed strong buying interest, rising 1.75 percent and 1.01 percent, respectively. Information Technology and banking shares also ended in positive territory. Realty and Auto sectors, however, underperformed and finished among the day's biggest losers.

On the Nifty, leading gainers included Trent, Bharat Electronics (BEL), Hindalco Industries, Eternal, and Tata Steel. On the downside, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Cipla, Bajaj Finserv, ONGC, and Axis Bank were among the major laggards.

Market breadth remained strong, with nearly 96 stocks touching their 52-week highs, while 31 stocks slipped to fresh 52-week lows. Stocks hitting new highs included Aeroflex Industries, Belrise, Data Patterns, IFCI, YES Bank, Netweb Technologies, and Polycab. Among those at new lows were Bayer Crop Science, Vedanta Power, and Parsvnath Developers.

In the currency market, the Indian Rupee settled at 94.53 against the US dollar, compared to the previous close of 94.56.

Defence-related stocks attracted significant investor interest after the government announced that India's annual defence production reached a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.

Paras Defence & Space Technologies was among the standout performers, soaring more than 18 percent. Data Patterns gained 6.6 percent, while Bharat Dynamics and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers advanced around 6 percent each, reflecting renewed optimism in the defence manufacturing sector.