Mumbai, Feb. 13 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded near the flatline with some tiny gains in mid-afternoon trade as inflation eased to a five-month low, according to data released by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The Nifty traded above the 23,050 mark after hitting the day's low of 22,992.20 in early trade. Media shares advanced after declining in the past five consecutive trading sessions. Trading was volatile due to the weekly Nifty 50 F&O series expiry today.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 45.53 points or 0.06% to 76,219.61. The Nifty 50 index added 12.70 points or 0.06% to 23,057.95.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.18%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap...