(With inputs from agencies)

NEW DELHI: Equity indices turned positive on Friday after witnessing a two-day fall amid recovery in banking, auto and metal stocks. The benchmark BSE Sensex finished 181 points or 0.51 per cent higher at 35,695, while the broader NSE Nifty moved 55 points or 0.52 per cent up to settle at 10,727.On the BSE index, Yes Bank, Vedanta, Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel and State Bank of India (SBI) were among the major gainers with their stocks surging as much as 3.34 per cent. On NSE, except for Nifty IT, all other sub-indices ended in green with Nifty PSU Bank rising the most, up 2.32 per cent.According to Sunil Sharma, chief investment officer, Sanctum Wealth Management, the domestic market has remained resilient in the face of worrisome news over the past three months."With low and falling inflation expectations, should growth disappoint, we would expect the RBI to deliver a rate cut in Q4 FY19. An accommodative central bank, low inflation, strong credit growth and low crude remain four key macro pillars backstopping the Indian markets ," he saidOn a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 972.81 crore Thursday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 34.52 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.Meanwhile, both indexes posted their worst three-day start to a year since at least 1996, according to Refinitiv data.Investors were also cautious ahead of the corporate results season which is set to kick off next week. Top software services exporters Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and Infosys Ltd are scheduled to report their results for the December-quarter on January 10 and 11, respectively.“Earnings at a time when the country is awaiting elections will not have a very big impact, unless they are dramatically different from expectations. So, there will be muted impact of earnings and investors will watch the outcome of elections.” Jasani said.