Markets maintained firm gains through the first half of trade on Friday, with the Sensex up 539.09 points or 0.70 per cent at 78,041.21 and the Nifty 50 higher by 182.10 points or 0.75 per cent at 24,357.80, as of 12.55 PM. The session so far has been marked by broad-based buying, improving market breadth, and continued strength in technology and healthcare stocks.

Nifty surpasses 24,000 as FMCG stocks rally while IT shares struggle, reflecting mixed market trends on Wednesday.

Nifty 50 settled at 24,005.85, up 0.59%, while the Sensex advanced 0.58% to close at 76,922

Nifty climbs past 24,100 driven by IT stocks, while crude oil dips below $68, boosting market sentiment.