Mumbai, Jan. 28 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in early afternoon trade, buoyed by improved risk appetite after India and the European Union clinched a landmark trade agreement. The development pushed the headline indices further into record-high territory.

The Nifty traded above 25,250 mark. Media shares advanced after declining for previous two consecutive trading session.

At 12:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex jumped 278.31 points or 0.34% to 82,130.72. The Nifty 50 index rose 97.90 points or 0.38% to 25,272.20.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.56% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.89%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE...