Mumbai, Feb. 27 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with modest losses in the early trade. The Nifty traded below the 25,400 level. Chemical, FMCG and auto shares declined, while IT and consumer durabes stocks advanced.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 351.42 points or 0.43% to 81,897.19. The Nifty 50 index gained 126.90 points or 0.49% to 25,368.90.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 0.24% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index fell 0.46%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,288 shares rose and 1,610 shares fell. A total of 186 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,465.99 crore, while domestic institution...