Mumbai, April 17 -- The key equity indices traded with robust gains in the afternoon trade, supported by a resilient domestic structural outlook and sustained foreign portfolio investor (FPI) inflows. Bank private bank and PSU bank shares advanced while IT and metal shares declined. The Nifty climbed above the 23,750 mark after hitting the day's low of 23,298.55 in early trade.

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 1,256.09 points or 1.63% to 78,300.38. The Nifty 50 index jumped 344.05 points or 1.48%, to 23,781.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index advanced 0.39%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.60%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,470 shares rose and 1,322 shares fell. A tot...