Mumbai, Feb. 20 -- The key equity barometers traded with small losses in the early afternoon trade as investors remain cautious due to uncertainty about U.S. tariff policies and their possible impact on inflation. The Nifty traded below the 22,900 level. Trading was volatile due to the weekly Nifty 50 F&O series expiry today.

Metal shares witnessed buying demand for fourth consecutive trading session.

At 12:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 222.97 points or 0.29% to 75,715.93. The Nifty 50 index declined 40.35 points or 0.18% to 22,892.55.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.73% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.01%.

The market breadth was positive. On th...