The oldest stock exchange in India, the Bombay Stock Exchange was established in 1875 as the Native Share and Stock Brokers Association at Dalal Street in Mumbai. A lot has changed since then when 318 persons became members upon paying Re 1.
In 1956, the BSE obtained permanent recognition from the Government of India -- the first stock exchange to do so -- under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.
The Sensex, first compiled in 1986, is a 'Market Capitalisation-Weighted' Index of 30 component stocks representing a sample of large and financially sound companies. The BSE-Sensex is the benchmark index of the Indian capital markets.
The BSE Sensex comprises these 30 stocks: ACC, Bajaj, Bharti, BHEL, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, GACL, Grasim, HDFC, HDFC Bank, Hero Honda, Hindalco, HLL, ICICI Bank, Infosys, ITC, L&T, Maruti, NTPC, ONGC, Ranbaxy, Reliance, Reliance Energy, Satyam, SBI, Tata Motors, Tata Power, TCS, Tisco and Wipro.
The Sensex scaled a new high as it breached the historic 8,000 mark within minutes after the trading session commenced on Thursday.
Here's a timeline on the rise and rise of the Sensex through Indian stock market history.
The 1000-mark
On July 25 1990, the Sensex touched the magical four-digit figure for the first time and closed at 1,001 in the wake of a good monsoon and excellent corporate results.
The 2000-mark
On January 15, 1992, the Sensex crossed the 2,000-mark and closed at 2,020 followed by the liberal economic policy initiatives undertaken by the then finance minister and current Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
The 3000-mark
On February 29, 1992, the Sensex surged past the 3000 mark in the wake of the market-friendly Budget announced by the then Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.
The 4000-mark
On March 30, 1992, the Sensex crossed the 4,000-mark and closed at 4,091 on the expectations of a liberal export-import policy. It was then that the Harshad Mehta scam hit the markets and Sensex witnessed unabated selling.
The 5000-mark
On October 8, 1999, the Sensex crossed the 5,000-mark as the BJP-led coalition won the majority in the 13th Lok Sabha election.
The 6000-mark
On February 11, 2000, the infotech boom helped the Sensex to cross the 6,000-mark and hit and all time high of 6,006.
The 7000-mark
On June 20, 2005, the news of the settlement between the Ambani brothers boosted investor sentiments and the scrips of RIL, Reliance Energy, Reliance Capital and IPCL made huge gains. This helped the Sensex crossed 7,000 points for the first time.
The 8000-mark
The Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark 30-share index -- the Sensex -- crossed the 8000 level following brisk buying by foreign and domestic funds in early trading.
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