New Delhi, July 9 -- Indian equity markets closed higher on Thursday after staging a recovery from the previous session's sharp sell-off, although late profit-booking pared some of the gains.

The BSE Sensex settled at 76,782.14, gaining 278.54 points or 0.36 per cent. The NSE Nifty 50 ended at 23,972.65, up 90.60 points or 0.38 per cent.

According to SBI Securities, Indian equities witnessed a smart recovery after Wednesday's intense decline. However, selling pressure towards the end of the session limited gains in both Sensex and Nifty to around 0.3 per cent each.

Broader markets also participated in the rebound, with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 outperforming the benchmark indices and ending 1.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent hig...