Mumbai, Feb. 17 -- The key equity benchmarks continued to trade with modest gains in mid-morning trade after a negative opening, as investors focused on stock-specific moves amid thin trading across Asian markets. The Nifty traded above the 25,650 mark. PSU bank shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 11:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 120.61 points or 0.14% to 83,397.76. The Nifty 50 index rose 7.85 points or 0.03% to 25,690.60.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.11% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 0.57%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,327 shares rose and 1,467 shares fell. A total of 195 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

India's total exports (...