Mumbai, March 13 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in early trade, supported by softer-than-expected inflation data from both the U.S. and India, which eased investor concerns. The Nifty traded above the 22,450 mark.

Metal, bank and financial services shares advanced while auto, media and IT shares corrected.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 62.34 points or 0.08% to 74,092.50. The Nifty 50 index added 5.60 points or 0.02% to 22,476.10.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.36% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.61%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,365 shares rose and 1,428 shares fell. A total of 119 shares wer...