Mumbai, March 19 -- The key equity barometers continued to trade with decent gains in early-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded a tad above the 22,900 level. Media shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 161.36 points or 0.21% to 75,463.90. The Nifty 50 index added 71.15 points or 0.31% to 22,905.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 1.79% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.80%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,928 shares rose and 938 shares fell. A total of 144 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the nea...