Mumbai, Oct. 26 -- The key equity benchmarks rebounded in afternoon trade. The recovery was supported by value buying in beaten-down stocks, and fresh buying interest in select heavyweight shares. The Nifty moved back above the 22,600 mark.

Brent crude eased from a recent six-month high of around $117 per barrel to about $114.50, offering some relief to markets. Foreign institutional investors also bought equities worth Rs 887.65 crore on Friday, according to exchange data. However, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over the US Federal Reserve's interest-rate outlook continued to weigh on sentiment.

At 13:30 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 196.27 points or 0.27% to 73,320.10. The Nifty 50 index rose 58.95 points or 0...