Mumbai, July 23 -- The domestic equity indices ended with strong gains today, with the Nifty closing above the 25,200 level. This positive performance was largely attributed to optimistic signals from Asian markets, which were buoyed by the newly announced US-Japan trade agreement. Auto and private bank stocks witnessed strong buying interest, while realty and media shares experienced a decline.

The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 539.83 points or 0.66% to 82,726.64. The Nifty 50 index added 159 points or 0.63% to 25,219.90.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.24% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.05%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 2,005 shares rose and 2,025 shares fe...