Mumbai, Aug 20 - A key index of Indian equities markets closed 202 points higher Thursday, recouping most of the losses incurred the previous day.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened higher at 14,930.05 points, ended at 15,012.32 points, up 202.68 points or 1.37 percent.

It slipped in the last 40 minutes or so, after gaining more than 335 points to reach the day's high of 15,145 points.

The broader-based Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) followed a similar path and ended 1.35 percent up at 4,453.45 points.

Broader market indices also made some gains, with the BSE midcap index closing 0.8 percent higher and the BSE smallcap index ending 0.82 percent up.

The market breadth was positive, with 1,525 stocks advancing, 1,145 declining and 77 remaining unchanged.

Of the 30 stocks on the Sensex, 29 ended on the gainer's list. Prominent among these were Maruti Suzuki, up 4.