Mumbai, April 15 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with major gains in mid-afternoon trade, tracking a rally in global markets amid optimism over the resumption of US-Iran peace talks. The Nifty traded above the 24,200 level. Realty shares advanced after declining in the past trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, surged 1,256.55 points or 1.64% to 78,104.12. The Nifty 50 index rose 394.35 points or 1.65% to 24,231.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index jumped 2.12% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 2.42%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 3,562 shares rose and 768 shares fell. A total of 137 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a g...