Sensex hits new peak of 33,956, Nifty at 10,494 in early trade

Stocks made headway on Wednesday as key indices Sensex and Nifty jumped to new peaks on bets that the government would unveil more reforms to boost rural economy.

Asian stocks traded mixed as the final vote on US tax-cut legislation entered a crucial phase.

The 30-share index rose 119.57 points, or 0.35 per cent, to hit a new high of 33,956.31, surpassing its previous intra-day record of 33,865.95 hit on November 7.

The gauge had gained 783.70 points in the previous four sessions.

The 50-share NSE Nifty added 31.25 points, or 0.29 per cent, at 10,494.45 -- a fresh intra-day high. The gauge had hit 10,490.45 during the day on November 6.

Auto, realty and consumer durables powered the stock gains, jumping by up to 1.08 per cent.

Sentiment remained upbeat after the BJP's electoral victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and a strengthening rupee against the dollar.

Apart from Maruti Suzuki, others that hit the ground running were ONGC, Hero MotoCorp, Coal India and Wipro, surging up to 2 per cent.