Mumbai, Dec. 11 -- The domestic equity indices traded with substantial gains in the early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 25,900 level. Pharma shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 416.37 points or 0.49% to 84,807.64. The Nifty 50 index advanced 152.45 points or 0.59% to 25,910.45.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.68% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.40%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,245 shares rose and 1,660 shares fell. A total of 208 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, declined 2.45% to 10.65. T...