Equity benchmark indices extended the previous day's rally on Friday amid buying in index major Reliance Industries, fresh foreign fund inflows and a largely positive trend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 178.34 points to 62,050.96 in early trade. The NSE Nifty gained 51.1 points to 18,372.25.

From the Sensex pack, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, Maruti, UltraTech Cement, Wipro, Bajaj Finserv, Hindustan Unilever, Infosys, Titan and State Bank of India were among the major gainers.

Power Grid, HDFC, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank were the laggards. In the Asian markets, Seoul and Tokyo traded in the green, while Shanghai quoted lower.

The US market ended mostly higher on Thursday.

The Sensex climbed 98.84 points or 0.16 per cent to settle at 61,872.62 on Thursday. The Nifty gained 35.75 points or 0.20 per cent to end at 18,321.15.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers on Thursday as they bought equities worth Rs 589.10 crore, according to exchange data.

Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.26 per cent to $76.06 a barrel.

"Amidst the winds of optimism blowing in the market, Nifty bulls strive to seize the baton of positivity from yesterday's robust rebound. As the market mood improves, fuelled by Nasdaq and the S&P 500's rally and the influx of buyers at Dalal Street, we find ourselves cautiously optimistic.

"However, amidst this prevailing optimism, we must be wary of the unresolved US debt ceiling," Prashanth Tapse - Research Analyst, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said in his pre-market opening quote.

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