Mumbai, April 20 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with decent gains in early afternoon trade even as investors remained cautious over renewed escalation in West Asia conflict.

The Nifty traded above the 24,400 level. Media shares extended gains for fourth consecutive trading session.

At 12:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex jumped 375.97 points or 0.48% to 78,896.51. The Nifty 50 index rose 75.65 points or 0.31% to 24,429.20.

In the broader market the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index gained 0.46% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 0.42%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 2,093 shares rose and 2,122 shares fell. A total of 204 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

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