Mumbai, Nov. 14 -- The headline equity indices 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. Auto shares declined for the second consecutive trading session.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, declined 152.97 points or 0.18% to 84,325.70. The Nifty 50 index slipped 50.20 points or 0.19% to 25,828.75.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.02% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.25%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,949 shares rose and 1,998 shares fell. A total of 213 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

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