New Delhi, March 20 -- The Indian stock market benchmarks, the Sensex and the Nifty 50, ended higher on Friday, March 20, on selective buying after Thursday's massive losses.

The 30-share pack jumped more than 1,000 points during the session but ended just 326 points, or 0.44%, higher at 74,532.96 as investors booked profits amid persisting geopolitical uncertainties. The Nifty 50 ended with a gain of 112 points, or 0.49%, at 23,114.50.

The Nifty Midcap 150 index rose 0.59%, while the Nifty Smallcap 250 index gained 0.26%.

Investors earned Rs.3 lakh crore in a day as the overall market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms rose to Rs.429 lakh crore from Rs.426 lakh crore in the previous session.

News flows indicating de-escalation in the...