Sensex hits record high in Muhurat trading

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex rose to a second consecutive record high in a special trading session on Sunday, led by gains in Indian Bank, Tata Motors and ONGC on expectations of better quarterly earnings, while strong foreign flows continued to boost sentiment.

Stock markets opened for a special 90-minute Muhurat session to mark the festival of Diwali, considered an auspicious time for Indians.

The Sensex has been propelled by foreign inflows of around $3.5 billion since the Federal Reserve unexpectedly delayed tapering of its monetary stimulus.

The index rose to a record high of 21,321.53, surpassing the previous all-time high set just on Friday. It closed up 0.2 percent.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Indian Oil Corp rose 3-4 percent while banking stocks Corporation Bank , Dena Bank and Indian Bank rose 2.6-15 percent.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

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