Sensex rises for fifth session; Reliance Industries hits $100 billion in market cap

(Reuters) - Indian shares rose for a fifth straight session on Thursday, with the benchmark Sensex posting its highest ever close, led by market heavyweight Reliance Industries Ltd.

Reliance Industries, the energy-to-telecoms conglomerate led by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, hit $100 billion in market capitalisation for a second time.

Shares of Reliance Industries rose as much as 5.8 percent to a record high before trimming gains to close 4 percent higher.

The broader NSE Nifty ended up 0.68 percent at 11,023.20, while the BSE Sensex closed 0.78 percent higher at a record level of 36,548.41. Earlier in the session, the BSE index hit its life-high of 36,699.53.