BENGALURU: Indian shares bounced back from a near three-month low to end higher on Thursday as investors looked beyond a massive surge in COVID-19 infections to progress on vaccinations, with metals and bank stocks leading the gains.

The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.77% to 14,406.15 at close, while the S&P BSE Sensex gained 0.79% to end at 48,080.67.

Metal stocks rose 1.7%, with Tata Steel gaining 3.1% after its unit Tata Steel BSL reported a jump in quarterly net profit. Private-sector banks rose 1.8%, with heavyweight HDFC Bank Ltd gaining 2.2%. The sub-index had fallen nearly 5% so far in April.

Media stocks were also higher, with shares of TV18 Broadcast jumping 19.4% after it reported its March-quarter profit had more than doubled.

Consumer goods stocks dropped 0.7% to fall for the third consecutive session, with Hindustan Unilever driving the losses on the benchmark index with a 2% drop.