Kenya, March 16 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in early afternoon trade despite the ongoing war between Iran, Israel and US entering its third week, with crude oil prices crossing $100 per barrel mark. Investors are also closely tracking movements in crude oil and gold prices. The Nifty traded above the 23,200 level. Pharma shares witnessed selling pressure for three consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:25 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 125.44 points or 0.17% to 74,689.36. The Nifty 50 index rose 37.20 points or 0.16% to 23,187.80.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index declined 1.01% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index fell 1.21%.

Sellers outnumbered buye...