Mumbai, Aug. 26 -- The frontline equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the mid-afternoon trade, weighed down by concerns over potential U.S. trade actions. Sentiment turned cautious after the United States issued a draft notice proposing tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods, set to take effect from Wednesday. The Nifty traded below the 24,800 level.

Metal shares declined after advancing in the past trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 607.13 points or 0.80% to 81,028.78. The Nifty 50 index dropped 193.15 points or 0.77% to 24,774.90.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index slipped 1.08% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 1.33%.

The market ...