Mumbai, March 6 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the mid- afternoon trade, weighed down by persistent geopolitical tensions in West Asia, rising crude oil prices, and continued foreign fund outflows.

The Nifty traded below the 24,650 mark. PSU Bank shares declined after advancing for previous trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slumped 624.22 points or 0.78% to 79,392.40. The Nifty 50 index fell 154.30 points or 0.62% to 24,611.60.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.43% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.05%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,094 shares rose and 1,993 shares fell. A total of 206 shares were unchanged.

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