Mumbai, July 26 (IANS): Indian equity markets on Wednesday provisionally closed at a record high, with the benchmark index NSE Nifty settling firmly above the 10,000-mark for the first time.

Expectations of healthy quarterly results, coupled with broadly positive global cues and intense buying activity witnessed in banking, metal and automobile stocks lifted the key equity indices to new levels.

At 3.30 p.m., the wider Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) provisionally closed at 10,020.65 points -- up 56.10 points or 0.56 per cent from its previous session's close -- after it scaled a record intra-day high of 10,025.95 points.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE closed at a new high of 32,382.46 points -- up 154.19 points or 0.48 per cent -- from its previous close at 32,228.27 points.

The Sensex touched a fresh intra-day high of 32,413.63 points.

The BSE market breadth was bullish with 1,359 advances and 1,327 declines.

On Tuesday, the NSE Nifty 50 climbed the 10,000-point-mark for the first time in its almost 22-year history but soon ceded its gains on the back of profit booking and expensive valuations and remained range-bound in the flat-to-positive zone.