Mumbai, May 2 -- The domestic equity indices ended slightly above the flat line on Friday. The Nifty settled above the 24,300 level. Shares in the oil & gas, media, and IT sectors advanced, while those consumer durables, metal and pharma sectors declined.

The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, added 259.75 points or 0.32% to 80,501.99. The Nifty 50 index rose 12.50 points or 0.05% to 24,346.70.

After opening higher, the key equity benchmarks hit the day's high in morning trade. However, they failed to hold on to those gains and steep profit booking emerged. As their downward trajectory continued, the equity indices hit the day's low in afternoon trade. The key barometers continued to witness price swings for the remainder of the sessi...