Mumbai, June 19 -- The key equity barometers traded with major losses in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded below the 24,000 level. Oil & Gas shares extended losses for previous two trading sessions.

At 12:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 724.94 points or 0.94% to 76,685.04. The Nifty 50 index declined 197.60 points or 0.82% to 23,970.40.

In the broader market, the BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 0.15% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.21%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,974 shares rose and 2,030 shares fell. A total of 206 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives :

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 0.11% to 13.38. The Nifty 30 June 2026...