Mumbai, May 27 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with modest losses in early afternoon trade, tracking weak global cues, as investor sentiment turned cautious ahead of key domestic economic data releases. The Nifty traded below the 24,900 level. FMCG shares declined after advancing in the past two consecutive trading sessions.

At 12:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 376.91 points or 0.46% to 81,799.54. The Nifty 50 index lost 148.55 points or 0.62% to 24,852.60.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.13% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.32%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,948 shares rose and 1,824 shares fell. A total of 163 shares were unchanged.

Derivatives:

The N...