Mumbai, July 16 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with moderate gains in the afternoon session, buoyed by optimism over the ongoing June-quarter earnings season. However, profit booking at higher levels restricted further gains, with the Nifty trading above the 24,050 mark. Media shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 94.15 points or 0.13% to 77,306.32. The Nifty 50 index added 19.65 points or 0.08% to 24,097.35.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.38% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index slipped 0.12%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,977 shares rose and 2,169 shares fell. A total of 221 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a...