Nifty trades near 26,100; metal shares rally for 5th day; VIX tumbles 4.82%

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex gained 304.14 points or 0.36% to 85,465.12. The Nifty 50 index added 89.95 points or 0.35% to 26,094.10