From correspondents in Maharashtra, India, 04:00 PM IST

Indian equities were trading firm Thursday afternoon, with a key index ruling 127 points higher than its previous close.

At 2.24 p.m., the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 17,199.64 points, was trading at 17,297.48 points, up 127.57 points from its last close at 17,169.91.

Around the same time, at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S and amp;P CNX Nifty was at 5,160.5 points, against the previous close at 5123.25 points, a gain of 0.73 percent.

Broader market indices were also in the green with the BSE midcap index up 0.84 percent and the BSE small cap index ruling 1.45 percent higher.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)