Mumbai, June 9 -- The key equity benchmark continued to trade with decent gains in early afternoon trade buoyed by the Reserve Bank of India's firm monetary policy stance and positive global sentiment. The Nifty hovered above the 25,100 level. Metal shares extended gains for the fourth consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, added 351.20 points or 0.43% to 82,540.19. The Nifty 50 index rose 114.20 points or 0.46% to 25,117.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.93% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.11%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,777 shares rose and 1,248 shares fell. A total of 180 shares were unchanged.

Economy: ...