Mumbai, April 17 -- The key equity benchmarks continued to trade with modest gains in mid-morning trade as broader markets outperformed the benchmarks despite lingering fragility in sentiment amid cautious optimism over potential US-Iran peace talks. Nifty traded above the 24,250 mark. Auto shares rebounded after declining in the previous trading session.

At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 255.36 points or 0.33% to 78,252.29. The Nifty 50 index rose 71.60 points or 0.30% to 24,268.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index gained 0.79% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 1.06%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,770 shares rose and 1,225 shares fell. A total...