Mumbai, June 19 -- The domestic equity benchmarks continued to trade near the flatline with some negative points in afternoon trade, amid ongoing escalating geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran. Further impacting sentiment was the US Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates, with the central bank projecting elevated inflation and slower economic growth ahead. Market direction will likely continue to be shaped by these geopolitical developments, with investors closely tracking crude oil prices and broader global events.

The Nifty traded below the 24,800 level. Barring the Nifty Auto index, all the other sectoral indices on the NSE traded in red.

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex shed 28.93 points or ...