Mumbai, Sept. 18 -- The key equity barometers firmed up further in early afternoon trade, supported by easing crude oil prices and softer global bond yields. Market sentiment also received a boost after Moody's raised its India FY27 GDP growth forecast to 7%, citing the resilience of the domestic economy despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia. The Nifty regained the 23,300 mark. Tata Group stocks remained under pressure amid profit-takin

At 12:25 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 141.87 points, or 0.19%, at 74,456.46. The Nifty 50 index was up 40.95 points, or 0.18%, at 23,311.85.

In the broader market, the Nifty Midcap 100 index rose 0.48%. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index rose 1.03%.

On the NSE, 2169 shares were trading in green...