Mumbai, April 9 -- The domestic equity benchmark traded with moderate losses in early trade. The Nifty traded below the 24,000 level. Private bank, realty and financial shares declined, while metal, media and FMCG shares advanced.

At 09:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 164.91 points or 0.21% to 77,397.99. The Nifty 50 index shed 13.35 points or 0.07% to 23,984.40.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.40% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index jumped 0.88%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,408 shares rose and 773 shares fell. A total of 139 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose ...