Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS): Broadly negative global indices subdued the Indian equity markets on Friday. The benchmark domestic indices ceded their initial gains to provisionally close on a flat note.

However, healthy buying was witnessed in capital goods, consumer durables and automobile stocks.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) gained by 6.65 points or 0.08 per cent to 7,985.75 points.

The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 25,959.99 points, provisionally closed at 26,040.70 points (at 3.30 p.m.) up 61.10 points or 0.24 per cent from the previous close at 26,242.38 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 26,143.19 points and a low of 25,872.38 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was tilted in favour of the bulls with 1,346 advances and 1,068 declines.

On Thursday, both the Sensex and the Nifty had closed below their psychologically important marks of 26,000 points and 8,000 points, respectively.

The barometer index had closed lower by 65.60 points or 0.25 per cent at 25,979.60 points, while the NSE Nifty declined by 82.20 points or 1.02 per cent to 7,979.10 points.