Mumbai, Feb. 26 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with moderate gains during the morning trade, extending their recovery for the second consecutive day. The upward momentum was largely driven by strong buying interest in IT stocks, which helped keep the market in positive territory. Major IT players such as Tech Mahindra and HCL Tech emerged among the top gainers, supporting the broader rally. The Nifty traded above the 25,500 level. IT shares advanced for the second consecutive trading session.

At 10:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 174.51 points or 0.21% to 82,450.58. The Nifty 50 index gained 64.55 points or 0.25% to 25,547.05.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap I...