Mumbai, March 21 -- The key equity benchmarks ended with strong gains on Friday, rising for the fifth consecutive trading session, driven by strong foreign fund inflows that bolstered market sentiment and investor confidence. The Nifty ended near the 23,350 mark. Media, oil & gas, and PSU bank shares advanced while consumer durables and metal shares declined.

As per the provisional closing, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 557.45 points, or 0.73%, to 76,905.51. The Nifty 50 index rallied 159.75 points, or 0.69%, to 23,350.40. In the five trading sessions, the Sensex and the Nifty jumped 4.16% and 4.25%, respectively.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 1.14%, and the S&P...