Mumbai, April 29 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with major gains in the afternoon trade, driven by robust earnings, growing optimism over a potential early end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and other supportive factors that lifted investor sentiment. The Nifty climbed above the 24,300 level

At 13:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex climbed 1,028.75 points or 1.34% to 77,915.12. The Nifty 50 index soared 320.70 points or 1.34% to 24,315.40.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 0.68% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index surged 0.93%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,468 shares rose and 1,635 shares fell. A total of 179 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market...