Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- The key equity barometers traded with modest gains in the early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 24,200 level. Realty shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex gained 48.27 points or 0.06% to 77,585.99. The Nifty 50 index jumped 13.45 points or 0.05% to 24,244.55.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.15% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rallied 0.52%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,219 shares rose and 1,846 shares fell. A total of 244 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose ...