On Friday, March 21, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex gained 557.45 points or 0.73 per cent to close at 76905.51. The NSE Nifty went up by 159.75 points or 0.69 per cent to close at 23350.40.

Indian markets closed higher for the fifth consecutive session, with Sensex up 557.45 points at 76,905.51 and Nifty rising 159.75 points to 23,350.40. Broader markets outperformed, with midcap and smallcap indices gaining 1.

Indian equity indices shrugged off weak global markets and extended their gains for the fifth consecutive session on Friday, with the Nifty crossing the 23,400 mark intraday, driven by broad-based buying across sectors.