Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) A benchmark index for Indian equities opened on a firm note Friday and was ruling 112 points higher, about 40 minutes into trade.

At 9.37 a.m. the 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,988.29 points, was ruling at 17,083.85 points, 112.15 points or 0.66 percent higher than its previous close at 16,971.7 points.

At the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty was ruling at 5,115.35 points against the previous close at 5,080.25 points, a gain of 0.69 percent.

Broader markets also saw some gains with the BSE midcap index ruling 1 percent higher and the BSE small cap index 1.26 percent up.