Mumbai, April 6 -- Frontline equity benchmarks traded with substantial losses in the mid-morning trade, mirroring global uncertainty amid rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran. Investor sentiment remained cautious, further weighed down by volatility linked to the weekly Nifty F&O expiry. The Nifty slipped below the 22,650 mark. Oil & gas shares extended losses for the second consecutive trading session.

At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 399.73 points or 0.55% to 72,964.56. The Nifty 50 index slipped 111.60 points or 0.49% to 22,601.50.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 0.03% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index declined 0.07%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,426 share...