Mumbai, Dec. 30 -- The key equity barometers traded near flat line in mid-morning trade. Trading activity remained rangebound due to absence of strong domestic triggers and the year-end holiday period. The Nifty traded below the 25,950 mark while volatility may persist owing to the Nifty F&O expiry.

Auto shares jumped, snapping a three-session losing streak.

At 11:25 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 96.27 points or 0.11% to 84,599.27. The Nifty 50 index lost 26.30 points or 0.09% to 25,918.25.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.30%, while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.51%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,697 shares rose and 2,084 shares fell....