Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- The headline equity indices traded near the flat line with marginal gains in mid-afternoon trade, as ongoing tensions surrounding Iran and rising crude oil prices kept market sentiment subdued.

The Nifty traded above the 24,200 mark. Financial services shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 35.72 points or 0.05% to 77,573.44. The Nifty 50 index added 9.75 points or 0.05% to 24,241.10.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index added 0.15% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.43%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,191 shares rose and 2,051 shares fell. A total of 250 shares were ...