Mumbai, Aug. 5 -- The key equity benchmarks traded sideways in early afternoon trade on Wednesday, with private bank stocks extending losses for a second consecutive session. The Nifty hovered near the 24,550 level.

At 12:28 IST, the the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped 126.81 points or 0.13% to 78,529.76. The Nifty 50 index fell 62.15 points or 0.26% to 24,550.75.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index added 0.38% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.65%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,308 shares rose and 1,518 shares fell. A total of 207 shares were unchanged.

RBI MPC meeting:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), at its monetary policy meeting held from 3 August to 5 August 2026, kept the...