The key equity barometers traded with minor gains in early trade. Nifty opened at 22315 and hit a high of 22383 in first half hour of trade. Nifty IT, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Private Bank shares advanced, while Nifty Pharma and Nifty Metal shares declined.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, posted modest gains of 548.46 points or 0.77% to 72,141.70. The Nifty 50 index added 70.90 points or 0.32% to 22,302.70.

The broader market failed to keep pace with frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index edged higher by 0.64% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index moved higher by 0.27%.

The market breadth was well-supported. On the BSE, 1978 shares gained and 1796 shares retreated. A total of 231 shares were unchanged.

Nifty IT index rose 2.90% to 28541. The index has declined 7.18% in last one month and recorded sharp losses of 21.27% over last one year. TCS, gaining 4.09%, led the gainers followed by LTM, edging up 3.03% and Infosys, adding 2.40%, respectively. All 10 constituents are advancing today.

Nifty FMCG index moved higher by 0.88% to 44284. The index has posted modest losses of 4.05% in last one month and tanked 19.44% over last one year. Colgate-Palmoliv, up 4.94%, led the gainers followed by United Breweries, inching higher 2.65% and United Spirits, edging up 2.28%, respectively. Out of 15 index constituents, 12 are reporting gains today.

Nifty Pharma index edged lower by 0.53%. The index has inched lower by 3.93% in last one month and surged 18.96% over last one year. Sai Life, edging lower 1.51%, led the losers followed by Mankind Pharma, easing 1.34% and Ajanta Pharma, losing 1.26%, respectively. Out of 20 index constituents, 17 are reporting loss today.

In NIFTY500, Hexaware Tech. is the top gainer today, recording robust gains of 10.99% to Rs 567. The counter has posted steep losses of 27.60% in last one year. It recorded an average volume quantity of 113370.80 in last five sessions compared to 69092.29 over last one month.

Asian markets posted modest losses on Friday. China’s Shanghai composite is sharply lower by 1.21%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is higher by 0.96%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 is down 0.31%.