Mumbai, Oct. 1 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with modest cuts in early afternoon trade, weighed down by continued selling by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). Investor sentiment remained cautious amid volatility in crude oil prices and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict. Market participants also tracked monthly auto sales data for further cues. The Nifty traded below the 22,500 level. Media shares declined after advancing in the past two trading sessions.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 371.99 points or 0.51% to 72,108.30. The Nifty 50 index fell 139.10 points or 0.62% to 22,479.80.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index shed 0.89% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropp...