Mumbai, May 26 : Indian equity markets closed at an all-time high last week. The Nifty and Sensex hit new peaks on Friday, with the Nifty surpassing the 23,000 mark for the first time. Similarly, the Sensex shot up by 1,400 points to a fresh record high of 75,636.50.

Last week, Nifty Bank surged 2 per cent following the announcement by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) of giving a dividend of Rs 2.11 lakh crore to the government.



This improved market sentiment significantly. The substantial dividend is expected to help the government reduce its fiscal deficit and boost capital expenditure.



The outlook for the market next week will be guided by major domestic and global economic data, according to experts.



On the global front, rising US bond yields and commodity prices (crude oil, gold, and silver) are the other factors that will be closely monitored, as they have the potential to influence market sentiment.



Furthermore, upcoming economic data releases from Japan and the US, along with movements in the global currency market, will also be important factors to consider.



On the domestic front, many companies, including some big names like Divislabs, Tata Steel and Apollo hospital will release their financial results next week.



Positive earnings reports from the final quarter could provide strength for the market to continue its bullish momentum.



According to market experts, we are very close to the Lok Sabha election results and the verdict will give a boost to FII flows.



Mehul Kothari, DVP - Technical Research, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers, said: "Nifty hit the milestone of 23,000 during Friday's session and ended the week with gains of over 2 per cent. It seems that the market is discounting the BJP government winning the elections with a decent majority."



As of now, the index is approaching the higher end of the rising channel placed near 23,100-23,200. Thus, from here on, "we will maintain a profit-booking stance in the market," said Kothari.



'On the downside, 22,800-22,600 seems to be extremely strong support for the coming week," he added.



/IANS