Among other prominent gainers on the Sensex at this time were Sterlite, up 3.97 percent at Rs.579.30; Wipro, up 3.52 percent at Rs.385.25; Tata Motors, up 2.59 percent at Rs.279.35.

The losers included Jaiprakash Associates, down 2.13 percent at Rs.193.15; M&M, down 2.02 percent at Rs.707.50; Sun Pharma, down 1.77 percent at Rs.1,148.95; and HDFC, down 1.66 percent at Rs.2,268.50.

In other Asian markets, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, a key index of the Tokyo stock exchange, closed Friday's trading at 9,287.28 points, down 3.78 points.

The Hang Seng, a primary index of the Hong Kong stock exchange, was ruling at 17,810.6 points, up 20.01 points.

In the US, stocks led by financial shares edged up Thursday, buoyed by a positive report on banking giant Goldman Sachs.

Bank of America suggested buying Goldman Sachs shares, helping financial firms close 1.4 percent higher on the day. Health companies fell after pharmaceutical giant Merck halted trials for a cholesterol drug.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 4.76 points or 0.06 percent to 8,183.17 points, while the broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index rose 3.12 points or 0.35 percent to 882.68.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index moved up 5.38 points, or 0.31 percent, to 1,752.55.