Mumbai, June 15 (IANS): Value buying, key economic decisions and a strong rupee lifted the Indian equity markets on Wednesday.

Consequently, the key indices provisionally closed the day's trade higher, as healthy buying was witnessed in capital goods, banking, and automobile stocks.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) surged by 97.75 points or 1.21 per cent, at 8,209 points.

The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 26,500.79 points, provisionally closed at 26,726.34 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- up 330.63 points or 1.25 per cent from the previous close at 26,395.71 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 26,752.59 points and a low of 26,446.59 points during the intra-day trade.

In contrast, the BSE market breadth was skewed in favour of the bears -- with 1,546 declines and 952 advances.

Both indices had ended on a lower note during the previous trade session on Tuesday. The barometer index had slipped by 1.06 points, while the NSE Nifty had dipped by 1.75 points or 0.02 per cent.