Mumbai, Dec. 19 -- The domestic equity indices traded with substantial gains in mid-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 25,950 mark. Market sentiment remained positive, supported by buying demand from Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) and positive cues from Asian markets, while investors continued to track global developments and key economic data.

Realty shares extended losses for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 477.81 points or 0.57% to 84,959.62. The Nifty 50 index gained 156.50 points or 0.61% to 25,972.80.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index jumped 0.81% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index surged 0.85%.

The market breadth was strong. On the...