India, March 19 -- Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended nearly 1 per cent higher on Wednesday, extending their winning run to the third day in a row, amid a slight drop in crude oil prices and a firm trend in global peers.A rally in IT stocks also led to the optimistic trend in the domestic markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 633.29 points or 0.83 per cent to settle at 76,704.13. During the day, it soared 929.38 points or 1.22 per cent to 77,000.22.The 50-share NSE Nifty surged 196.65 points or 0.83 per cent to end at 23,777.80.From the 30-Sensex firms, Eternal, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Tech, Adani Ports, Tata Consultancy Services and Axis Bank were among the major gainers.

NTPC, Hindustan Un...