Mumbai, May 2 -- The domestic equity benchmarks ended with minor gains today, supported by optimism over US-India trade negotiations, as foreign investors returned to the market. The Nifty settled above the 24,300 level. Oil & Gas, media and IT shares advanced while consumer durables, metal and pharma shares declined.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, added 259.75 points or 0.32% to 80,501.99. The Nifty 50 index rose 12.50 points or 0.05% to 24,346.70.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.41% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.07%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,759 shares rose and 2,187 shares fell. A total of 139 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VI...