Mumbai, Oct. 9 -- Equity benchmarks ended sharply higher today as optimism built up ahead of TCS' Q2 results. The Nifty climbed steadily after an early bout of volatility to close above the 25,180 mark, supported by gains in metal, IT, and healthcare stocks. Buying interest in heavyweight counters gathered pace through the session, buoyed by positive global cues and a pause in foreign outflows.

The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 398.44 points or 0.49% to 82,17210. The Nifty 50 index added 135.65 points or 0.54% to 25,181.80.

JSW Steel (up 2.73%), Larsen & Toubro (up 1.11%) and Reliance Industries (up 0.78%) boosted the indices today.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.75% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.18%.

The ...