Mumbai, Aug. 27 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with moderate losses in the mid-afternoon trade as investors remained cautious amid a lack of clear directional triggers. Sentiment was weighed by fluctuations in bond yields, gold and crude oil prices, along with ongoing developments in the US-Iran situation and other global market cues. The Nifty traded below the 24,150 mark.

Metal stocks retreated after advancing in the previous session

At 14:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 242.90 points or 0.32% to 77,226.77. The Nifty 50 index lost 61.35 points or 0.25% to 24,147.85.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.13% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index added 0.11%.

The market breadth was negativ...