Mumbai, March 9 -- The domestic equity indices traded with steep losses in early trade, as the raging conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US escalated further over the weekend, driving crude oil prices higher and raising concerns over India's rupee and macroeconomic stability.

The Nifty traded below the 23,750 mark. All sectoral indices on the NSE were traded in the red, with PSU bank, auto and healthcare shares declining the most.

At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 2,235.28 points or 2.80% to 76,705.60. The Nifty 50 index fell 672.15 points or 2.75% to 23,778.30.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index dropped 3.59% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index slumped 3.74%.

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