Mumbai, Nov. 11 -- The key equity benchmarks pared some gains in afternoon trade, although sentiment remained positive. Softer crude oil prices, continued foreign fund inflows and hopes of a de-escalation in the Iran conflict supported investor sentiment. The Nifty slipped below the 25,300 mark after hitting an intraday high of 25,424.35. Chemical stocks remained in demand.

At 13:30 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex jumped 700.07 points, or 0.86%, to 81,806.72. The Nifty 50 added 183.35 points, or 0.73%, to 25,228.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap index gained 0.94%, while the BSE 250 SmallCap index advanced 1.24%.

Market breadth remained strong. On the BSE, 2,939 shares advanced, while 1,442 declined. A total of 246 shares remained unc...