Mumbai, Oct. 1 -- The benchmark indices traded near the day's low in afternoon trade, weighed down by continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). Investor sentiment remained cautious amid volatility in crude oil prices and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict. Market participants also tracked monthly auto sales data for further cues. The Nifty traded below the 22,500 level.

At 13:23 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 874.12 points or 1.21% to 71,606.17. The Nifty 50 index fell 287.50 points or 1.27% to 22,332.95.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 1.47% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 1.88%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 981 shares rose and 3,258 sh...