How’s the view from atop Mount 50k? × Long-term returns of Sensex will taper, but demand for Indian stocks will continue because of the economy’s many pluses Cynics may say it’s just a number, but market participants were jubilant last week when the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index, also called the Sensex, crossed the 50,000 level briefly on January 21. Scaling the 50,000 mark, even if only briefly, perhaps symbolised the victory of the stock market over the pandemic and promised continued riches to them. The recent feat aside, it has been quite a remarkable journey for the Sensex since its launch in January 1986. From ring-trading in fragmented regional stock exchanges across the country, controlled by few heavy-weight stock brokers, India’s stock market has evolved into an institution that matches its global counterparts in almost every respect.