Mumbai, April 29 -- The domestic equity indices traded with modest gains in early trade on Wednesday. The Nifty traded above the 24,100 level. Oil & gas, FMCG and pharma shares advanced, while metal and financial services shares declined.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 438.78 points or 0.57% to 77,325.69. The Nifty 50 index rallied 125.60 points or 0.52% to 24,121.30.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 0.68% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index surged 0.89%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,227 shares rose and 797 shares fell. A total of 173 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, slipped 3.62% to 17.39....