Mumbai, Oct. 6 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with modest gains in early afternoon trade, supported by positive global cues and quarterly business updates, while investors remained focused on the RBI's upcoming policy decision amid expectations of a 25-basis-point rate hike and sustained domestic institutional buying. The Nifty traded above the 22,650 mark.

Oil & gas shares jumped for the second consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex jumped 451.95 points or 0.63% to 72,834.42. The Nifty 50 index gained 130.90 points or 0.58% to 22,686.45.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap 150 Index rose 0.66% and the Nifty SmallCap 250 Index added 0.80%.

The market breadth was strong. On the NSE,...