Mumbai, March 7 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in the mid-morning trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,600 level. Oil & Gas shares extended gains for the four consecutive trading sessions.

At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rallied 149.38 points, or 0.21%, to 74,493.79. The Nifty 50 index rose 58.95 points, or 0.26%, to 22,609.30.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.46%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.45%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,678 shares rose and 901 shares fell. A total of 158 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Oil & Gas index added 1.05% to 10,151.60. The index jumped 6.70% in the four consecut...