New Delhi, July 1 -- The Indian stock market began the July series on a positive note, with both benchmark indices gaining more than 0.5%, led by strong buying in realty, FMCG, and auto stocks, which offset weakness in IT and metal shares.

The Nifty 50 ended the session at 24,005, up 0.60% from the previous close, while the Sensex gained 0.52% to settle at 76,873. The broader market also reflected the positive sentiment, with both the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices ending over 0.30% higher.

A strong June sales update from Mahindra & Mahindra lifted the broader auto pack, helping the Nifty Auto index rise 1.15%. Nifty Realty, Nifty Media, and Nifty FMCG emerged as the top-performing sectoral indices, gaining 3.58%, 2.08%...