Mumbai, Oct. 15 -- The key equity barometers traded with modest gains in the early-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded a tad above the 25,350 mark. All sectoral indices traded in the green, with realty, PSU banks, and metal stocks gaining the most.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rallied 646.28 points or 0.79% to 82,676.26. The Nifty 50 index rose 208.45 points or 0.83% to 25,354.75.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index advanced 1.08% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.62%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,434 shares rose and 1,610 shares fell. A total of 162 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, was tumbled 5.60...