Mumbai, Nov 16 (IANS): Broadly positive global markets, healthy macro-economic trade data along with a slight recovery in rupee guided the advances in the key Indian equity indices during the afternoon trade session on Friday.

Healthy buying was witnessed in telecom stocks as it rose over 4 per cent, most among all the sectors on the BSE. Energy, finance and healthcare stocks also gained whereas selling pressure occurred in oil and gas and metal scrips as the benchmark Brent Crude prices rose to $67.38 a barrel.

The rupee traded at Rs 71.81 per dollar from its previous close of 71.98.

At 1.58 p.m., the S&P BSE Sensex traded 160.90 points higher at 35,421.44 from its previous close of 35,260.54.

The benchmark index touched a high of 35,545.85 and a low of 35,324.37 while the NSE's Nifty was trading 44.05 points higher at 10,660.75.

On Thursday, foreign fund inflows touched a three-month high which along with low crude oil prices and a strengthened rupee guided the key Indian equity indices to close on a positive note.

Also, India's merchandise exports grew by 17.86 per cent in October on a year-on-year basis, official data showed on Thursday.