Mumbai, July 3 -- Indian benchmark indices opened Friday's trade on a strong note, with the Sensex gaining over 500 points and the Nifty crossing the 24,300 mark, supported by weaker-than-expected US labour market data that strengthened expectations of a more accommodative US Federal Reserve, while easing crude oil prices further boosted investor sentiment.

The Sensex opened at 78,152.34 against its previous close of 77,502.12, while the Nifty started the session at 24,375.65 compared to Thursday's close of 24,175.70. At the time of filing this report, the Nifty was trading at 24,307.95, up 132.25 points or 0.55 per cent, while the Sensex was at 77,862.28, higher by 360.16 points or 0.46 per cent.

Market sentiment was supported by globa...