Nifty ends at 9,108; logs 1st weekly fall in March; banking stocks gain

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, turned negative

The benchmark indices on Friday settled higher thanks to gains in banking stocks following news reports that the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has promised to offer a solution to the growing non performing assets (NPA) crisis in next few days.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 29,421, up 89 points, while the broader Nifty50 settled at 9,108, up 22 points. Both the indices logged their first weekly loss in March, retreating from a record high hit last week. 

"Nifty closed flat in a volatile session today, tracking mixed cues. Initially, it made a firm start and inched higher, thanks