Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS): The key Indian equity indices - S&P BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty50 - traded on a flat-to-positive note during the mid-afternoon session on Tuesday.

Their subdued performance came after they scaled fresh intra-day highs.

In the morning trade session, the S&P BSE Sensex touched a high of 38,402.96 points while the NSE Nifty50 climbed a peak of 11,581.75 points.

However, broadly negative Asian markets along with investors' fears over rise in trade protectionist measures and high crude oil prices subdued the key indices soon after.

Conversely, a strengthened rupee against the US dollar aided the key indices to arrest the slide. It strengthened to an intra-day high of 69.53 to a greenback.

Around 12.55 p.m., the broader Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) traded at 11,566.35 points - up by 14.60 points or 0.13 per cent - from its previous close.

The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), which opened at 38,360.32 points, traded at 38,293.46 points -- higher by just 14.71 points or 0.04 per cent -- from its previous session's close of 38,278.75 points.

Sensex has so far touched a low of 38,213.87 points during the intra-day trade.

On Monday, the previous trade session, both the indices touched their new intra-day and closing highs, as investor sentiments were buoyed by the prospects of easing trade tensions and an appreciation in the Indian rupee.