Mumbai, Feb. 19 -- The domestic equity indices traded with limited gains in the early afternoon trade. The Nifty hovered above the 22,950 mark. PSU Bank shares advanced after declining in the past trading session.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 158.79 points or 0.21% to 76,142.68. The Nifty 50 index rose 31.75 points or 0.14% to 22,977.05.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index advanced 1.23% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 2.35%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,805 shares rose and 1,005 shares fell. A total of 131 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

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