Sensex, Nifty rise for third straight session; metal stocks jump

The NSE Nifty 50 index ended up 0.37% at 14,873, and the S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.2% to 49,746.21.

Indian shares ended up for a third straight session on Thursday, led by gains in metals and information technology stocks after the central bank's accommodative monetary policy lifted investor sentiment amid a record surge in domestic COVID-19 cases. India's main stock indexes have been retreating from the record highs of February amid a resurgence in infections that has spurred curbs in some states and threatened to derail a nascent economic recovery. Infections jumped by another daily record on Thursday. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday kept interest rates at record lows and committed to a massive government bond purchase programme, helping keep share markets buoyant.