Exchange to post another lifetime high on January 4, 2006. The 30-share sensex climbed 108.7 points, or 1.1 per cent to end the day at 9648 points.

Vaibhav Gems, a company based in the South, also rallied smartly with the share price jumping 73 per cent to INR 400 from INR 232 on October 20, 2005. The company was recently in the news for its proposal to make a preferential allotment of shares/warrants to leading private equity investor Warburg Pincus. Among other major gainers, Classic Diamonds hit a new high of INR 182.4 during intra-day trading on Tuesday. In the past two months, the stock has shot up 60% to end at INR 170 on Wednesday.

Investors have taken a fancy to the shares of diamond and jewellery manufacturing and trading companies due to the growing consumption of diamond studded jewellery in the domestic market. Industry experts say that export orders from across the globe are pouring in to India.