Mumbai, April 23 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in early afternoon trade, supported by improved global sentiment following reassuring comments from US President Donald Trump regarding Fed Chair Jerome Powell and US-China trade relations. The Nifty traded above the 24,200 level after hitting the day's low of 24,119.95 in morning trade. Realty shares soared for the seventh consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex added 174.44 points or 0.21% to 79,764.39. The Nifty 50 index rose 45.35 points or 0.19% to 24,212.20.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.34% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.21%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,607 sha...