Mumbai, Sept. 8 -- The key equity benchmarks continued to trade with minor gains in morning trade. Investors will monitor inflation numbers due later this week. The Nifty traded near the 24,800 level.

Auto stocks rallied for the fourth consecutive trading session.

At 10:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex gained 159.14 points or 0.20% to 80,858.96. The Nifty 50 index rose 54.95 points or 0.23% to 24,796.50.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.63% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index jumped 0.64%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,536 shares rose and 1,248 shares fell. A total of 224 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Auto index advanced 1.93% to 26,82...