Indian stock market, July 19 -- The Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, rallied sharply on Friday, July 17, driven primarily by strong buying in Reliance Industries and major private banking stocks ahead of their June quarter earnings.

The Sensex surged 965 points, or 1.25%, to settle at 78,151.45, while the Nifty 50 gained 262 points, or 1.09%, to close at 24,334.30.

"The Indian equity markets continued to trade in a range-bound yet positive manner during the week, with the Nifty 50 closing at 24,334, registering a weekly gain of nearly 0.53%. The index displayed strong by sustaining decisively above the previous week's low of 23,800, despite intermittent volatility arising from geopolitical tensions involving the USA and Ir...