Mumbai, Dec. 15 -- The headline equity indices traded with small losses in the early afternoon trade, retreating after a two-day rally as continued foreign investor selling and lingering uncertainty over a potential U.S. trade deal dampened investor risk appetite. The Nifty traded below the 26,050 mark. Media shares advanced after declining in the two consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 68.58 points or 0.08% to 85,199.08. The Nifty 50 index lost 31.50 points or 0.12% to 26,015.45.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.11% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.27%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,134 shares rose and 1,907 shares fell. A total of 207 ...