Mumbai, April 16 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with modest losses in mid-afternoon trade despite positive global cues. Market participants are monitoring the de-escalation situation between Iran and the US. The Nifty traded below the 24,200 level. IT shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 188.33 points or 0.24% to 77,922.91. The Nifty 50 index fell 56.85 points or 0.23% to 24,174.45.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index added 0.19% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index rose 0.72%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,536 shares rose and 1,687 shares fell. A total of 190 shares were unchanged....