Mumbai, April 16 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with strong gains in early trade, buoyed by easing crude oil prices and positive global cues. Nifty traded above the 24,350 mark. Metal, IT and realty shares surged while pharma and healthcare shares declined.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 567.35 points or 0.73% to 78,678.59. The Nifty 50 index rose 156.90 points or 0.65% to 24,388.20.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 0.77% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 0.96%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,675 shares rose and 648 shares fell. A total of 131 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of vola...