Mumbai, Sept. 30 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with moderate gains in early afternoon trade, supported by eased crude oil prices from elevated levels and a moderation in US Treasury bond yields. The Nifty traded above the 22,750 mark. Private bank shares advanced after declining in the past trading session.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex advanced 413 points or 0.57% to 72,942.07. The Nifty 50 index added 56.55 points or 0.25% to 22,774.05.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 0.22% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.35%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,336 shares rose and 1,825 shares fell. A total of 230 shares were unchanged.

The United States 10-year bond yield fell 0.4...