Mumbai, July 25 -- The Nifty traded below the 24,850 mark. Metal shares declined after advancing in the past two consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 672.42 points or 0.81% to 81,514.44. The Nifty 50 index declined 222.05 points or 0.89% to 24,840.35.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.37% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index tanked 1.71%.

The overall market breadth was weak, with more stocks declining than advancing. On the BSE, 1,011 stocks advanced, 2,827 declined, and 164 remained unchanged.

Economy:

India and the United Kingdom have signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), marking a major step toward stren...