The BSE Sensex–India’s most popular stock market index–closed the day today at an all-time-high of 76,468.78 points, a gain of 2,507.47 points from where it closed on Friday (May 31, 2024).
It’s the highest gain single day gain that the Sensex has seen–of course, in absolute terms. And we love absolute numbers (ask all the real estate investors who never seem to know the real CAGR on their investments but always know how many lakhs and crores they have made.)
In percentage terms the gain has been 3.39% from Friday’s close. This is the 214th highest single day gain ever for the Sensex. The Sensex data is available starting from April 3, 1979. This is a headline you won’t see anywhere because percentages make the headline boring. Who wants to read 214th highest when it can simply be the highest?
The highest gain in the BSE Sensex in percentage terms happened on 18th May 2009, when it jumped by 17.34%. The next eight highest gains where in 1992 or earlier years (when Harshad Mehta was at his peak).
The 10th highest gain of 8.97% happened on April 7, 2020, when the Sensex rebounded from covid lows.
Of course, even a 3.39% gain in a single day is fantastic. It’s more than the annual residential rental yield on almost all real estate in India (i.e. if you like to think in percentages and not in absolutes).