New Delhi: Markets ended in the positive zone on Monday led by strong buying in financial counters amid a positive trend in global equities and sustained foreign fund inflows.

Major gainers in the Sensex pack were Kotak Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finserve, SBI, Maruti, HDFC, Bharti Airtel, Axis Bank and RIL, rising upto 3.53 percent. On the other hand, major losers were Powergrid, M&M, Tech Mahindra, Titan, NTPC, Bajaj Auto, HUL, Ultrachem, Infosys, LT, ITC, and Nestle, falling upto 2.06 percent.

Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul ended with significant gains. Stock exchanges in Europe too opened on a strong note. Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.71 per cent higher at USD 45.25 per barrel.

In the forex market, the rupee soared 52 paise to settle at 74.32 against the US dollar.

Exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 410.16 crore on a net basis on Friday.

In the previous session, the Sensex closed 214.33 points or 0.56 per cent higher at 38,434.72; while the Nifty rose 59.40 points or 0.53 per cent to close at 11,371.60.