Mumbai, April 6 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded sideways in early afternoon trade, mirroring global uncertainty amid rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran. Investor sentiment remained cautious, further weighed down by volatility linked to the weekly Nifty F&O expiry. The Nifty slipped above the 22,700 level. FMCG shares declined after advancing in the past two sessions.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 52.07 points or 0.07% to 73,267.48. The Nifty 50 index rose 10.90 points or 0.06% to 22,727.90.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index rose 0.42% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 0.54%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 2,794 shares rose and 1,344 shares fell. A total ...