Mumbai, Oct. 27 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with moderate losses in mid-afternoon trade as investors adopted a cautious stance amid the expiry of derivatives contracts on the NSE and the ongoing Q2 earnings season. The Nifty traded below the 22,700 mark, reflecting subdued sentiment and a lack of strong buying conviction.

Auto shares witnessed buying interest for two consecutive trading sessions.

At 14:25 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 340.68 points or 0.46% to 73,266.07. The Nifty 50 index fell 96.15 points or 0.42% to 22,662.75.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The Nifty MidCap 150 Index advanced 0.65% and the Nifty SmallCap 250 Index rose 1.92%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,310 shares...