Benchmark indices staged a late-hour recovery on Friday to close higher for the second consecutive session, with metals and PSU bank stocks leading the charge amid a dovish Reserve Bank of India policy stance and expectations of US Federal Reserve rate cuts in October. The Sensex climbed 223.86 points or 0.28 per cent to close at 81,207.17, while the Nifty 50 rose 57.95 points or 0.23 per cent to settle at 24,894.25, reclaiming its crucial 50-day moving average at 24,830.

Tata Steel emerged as the top gainer on the Nifty 50, surging 3.45 per cent to close at ₹173.29, followed by Power Grid Corporation , which jumped 2.85 per cent to ₹288.65. Kotak Mahindra Bank advanced 2.17 per cent to ₹2,108, while Axis Bank gained 2.03 per cent to ₹1,183. Larsen & Toubro rounded off the to

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