Mumbai, Feb 17 (IANS): Indian equities markets on Friday provisionally closed with gains of around half a per cent each, as healthy buying was witnessed in banking, healthcare, and oil and gas stocks.

However, some gains were capped on the back of negative global cues and profit booking.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) edged up by 43.70 points or 0.50 per cent to 8,821.70 points.

The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 28,670.43 points, provisionally closed at 28,468.75 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- up 167.48 points, or 0.59 per cent, from the previous close at 28,301.27 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 28,726.26 points and a low of 28,410.91 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was marginally in favour of the bulls -- with 1,418 advances and 1,392 declines.

On Thursday, healthy macro-data and and value buying lifted the benchmark indices.

The NSE Nifty edged up by 53.30 points or 0.61 per cent to close at 8,778 points, and the BSE Sensex was up 145.71 points, or 0.52 per cent at 28,301.27 points.