From correspondents in Maharashtra, India, 05:00 PM IST

Indian equities markets continued to make gains Friday afternoon, with a key index trading 417 points higher than its previous close nearly an hour before the closing bell.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 14,319.87 points, was ruling 417.41 points or 2.92 percent higher at 14,713.42 points.

Similarly, the S and amp;P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) gained 3.43 percent from its previous close and was trading at 4,485.65 points.

Broader market indices were also ruling in the green, with the BSE midcap index gaining 3 percent and the BSE smallcap index trading 3.4 percent higher.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)