Mumbai, Nov. 21 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with modest losses in the morning trade, mirroring the weak sentiment across major Asian markets. Investors turned cautious after the latest US jobs data failed to offer clarity on the Federal Reserve's rate-cut trajectory, keeping global markets on edge. The Nifty index dipped below the 26,100 level. Metal shares declined after advancing in the past trading session.

At 10:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 395.32 points or 0.46% to 85,237.36. The Nifty 50 index lost 120.60 points or 0.46% to 26,071.35.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.88% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index dropped 0.98%.

The market bread...