Mumbai, Aug. 18 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with modest losses in the mid-afternoon trade, weighed down by a rise in crude oil prices following the expiry of the US-Iran ceasefire and growing uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Nifty traded below the 24,200 level. FMCG shares extended losses for the third consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tanked 342.81 points or 0.44% to 77,385.35. The Nifty 50 index lost 92.60 points or 0.38% to 24,197.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 0.23% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.18%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,887 shares rose and 2,353 shares fell. A total of 240 shares were un...