EQUITY benchmark Sensex climbed 175 points to close above the 56,000-mark for the first time on Friday, driven by strong buying in infrastructure, finance and pharma stocks despite lacklustre global cues. A strengthening rupee, which surged 53 paise against the US dollar, further bolstered sentiment, traders said.

Staging a smart rebound after a gap-down opening, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 175.62 points or 0.31 per cent higher at its new closing peak of 56,124.72.

Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty gained 68.30 points or 0.41 per cent to finish at a record 16,705.20. UltraTech Cement was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging 3.64 per cent, followed by L&T, Dr Reddy’s, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, TCS, Bharti Airtel and Kotak Bank.

On the other hand, Infosys, IndusInd Bank, M&M, Nestle India, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank and Tech Mahindra were among the laggards, shedding up to 1.07 per cent. “Indian benchmark indices remained in positive territory even as global markets traded mixed as investors awaited announcements from the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Mid and small-cap stocks continued their outperformance.