Mumbai, Aug. 18 -- The key equity indices traded with major gains in the mid- afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 24,900 level. FMCG shares advanced after declining for previous three trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rallied 866.01 points or 1.07% to 81,460.99. The Nifty 50 index rallied 297.90 points or 1.21% to 24,929.10.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 1.16% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 1.40%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,542 shares rose and 1,567 shares fell. A total of 204 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty FMCG index rose 1.85% to 55,665.55. The index shed 0.49% in the previous three trading sessions.

Nestle India (up 6....