Mumbai, April 25 -- The key equity indices parred all losses and traded in positive terrain with limited gains in afternoon trade. The Nifty scaled above the 22,450 level. PSU Bank, pharma and oil & gas shares advanced while realty, consumer durables and metal stocks declined.

At 13:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was advanced 179.2 points or 0.24% to 74,031.71. The Nifty 50 index added 53.60 points or 0.24% to 22,456.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.43% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.51%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,063 shares rose and 1,646 shares fell. A total of 137 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over...