Mumbai, (IANS) : Domestic cues such as progress on the upcoming taxation reform – GST – and a strong rupee buoyed the Indian equity markets on Friday.

According to market observers, healthy buying in automobile, metal and banking stocks lifted the key equity indices to provisionally close on a flat-to-positive note.

However, investors remained cautious amidst uncertain global cues, and expensive market conditions.

The Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) inched up by 19.40 points or 0.20 per cent to provisionally close at 9,666.65 points.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 31,196.86 points, provisionally closed at 31,262.06 points — up 48.70 points or 0.16 per cent from its previous close at 31,213.36 points.

It touched a high of 31,289.99 points and a low of 31,087.28 points during intra-day trade.