Mumbai, Aug. 28 -- The equity markets ended higher on Friday, supported by a strong rally in IT stocks as investors tracked gains in global technology shares. The Nifty 50 closed at 24,175.65, gaining 84.80 points, or 0.35%, while the BSE Sensex rose 330.92 points, or 0.43%, to close at 77,264.51.

The IT sector emerged as the biggest driver of the day's gains, with the Nifty IT index rising more than 3%. The sector gained momentum after technology stocks rallied in the US market following Nvidia's strong second-quarter results and an upbeat revenue outlook, which renewed optimism over global spending on artificial intelligence.

Among the top gainers on the Nifty 50, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies led the advance...