Mumbai, March 7 -- The domestic equity indices traded with small gains in early trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,450 mark. Metal, media and PSU bank stocks advanced while auto, IT and private bank shares declined.

At 09:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 34.51 points or 0.05% to 74,120.50. The Nifty 50 index rose 11.45 points or 0.05% to 22,485.50.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.30% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.76%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,960 shares rose and 842 shares fell. A total of 105 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 2,766.75 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to th...