Mumbai, Oct. 29 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with modest gains in early trade. The Nifty traded above the 26,000 level. Metal, oil & gas and pharma shares advanced, while auto stocks declined.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 231.57 points or 0.27% to 84,786.93. The Nifty 50 index rose 79.25 points or 0.31% to 26,015.45.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.17% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.07%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1,794 shares rose and 1,096 shares fell. A total of 152 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 10,339.80 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) w...