Mumbai, March 12 -- The headline equity indices traded with moderate cuts in mid-afternoon trade. The Nifty traded below the 22,500 level after hitting day's low of 22,577.40 in early afternoon trade. PSU bank shares tumbled after advancing in the past trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 108.82 points or 0.15% to 73,993.87. The Nifty 50 index lost 46.70 points or 0.21% to 22,451.20.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.95% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.46%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,411 shares rose and 2,506 shares fell. A total of 134 shares were unchanged.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty PSU Bank index fell 1.05%...