Mumbai, March 3 -- The key equity indices traded with minor gains in early trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,150 mark. IT, auto, and realty shares advanced while private bank, PSU bank and pharma shares declined.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, added 159.41 points or 0.22% to 73,361.27. The Nifty 50 index rose 51.25 points or 0.23% to 22,175.95.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.50% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.74%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,388 shares rose and 1,051 shares fell. A total of 223 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 11,639.02 crore, while domestic institutional invest...