Mumbai, Nov. 14 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with moderate losses in early-afternoon trade, as investors kept a close eye on the Bihar Election results. The Nifty traded below the 25,850 mark. IT, metal and auto shares declined, while PSU bank, pharma, and media shares advanced.

At 1:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 243.55 points or 0.29% to 84,235.12. The Nifty 50 index slipped 71.90 points or 0.28% to 25,808.50.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.17% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.10%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,848 shares rose and 2,184 shares fell. A total of 179 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volati...