Mumbai, Aug 17 (IANS): The key Indian equity indices on Thursday provisionally closed on a flat note -- with marginal gains -- on the back of healthy buying in IT, Teck (technology, media and entertainment) and metal stocks.

However, market observers opined that negative European markets, coupled with profit booking in automobile and banking stocks, pared most of the gains of the key indices.

The Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), which managed to hold on to the psychologically important 9,900-level, provisionally closed at 9,902.90 points -- fractionally up by 5.60 points or 0.06 per cent from its previous session's close.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 31,919.17 points, closed at 31,834.45 points -- up 24.57 points, or 0.08 per cent, from its previous close at 31,770.89 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 31,937.51 points and a low of 31,714.10 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was bullish with 1,400 advances and 1,161 declines.

On Wednesday, the benchmark indices closed on a higher note as healthy buying was witnessed in index heavyweights such as ITC, HDFC, Tata Motors and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) among others.

The Nifty50 closed higher by 103.15 points or 1.05 per cent at 9,897.30 points while the Sensex closed at 31,770.89 points -- up 321.86 points, or 1.02 per cent.