Mumbai, Oct. 5 -- The key equity benchmarks firmed up further in afternoon trade, supported by value buying in recently beaten-down shares. However, concerns persisted amid elevated crude oil prices and continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). The Nifty crossed the 22,520 mark. Healthcare and pharma shares remained under pressure, while mid- and small-cap IT, telecom and consumer durables shares were in demand.

At 13:25 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 405.68 points, or 0.56%, to 72,315.38. The Nifty 50 index gained 115.70 points, or 0.52%, to 22,536.60.

In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap 150 Index rose 0.64%, while the Nifty SmallCap 250 Index rose 0.50%.

Market breadth turned positive. On the NSE, 1,776 shares ro...