Mumbai, Sept. 25 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded near the flatline with minor losses in the morning trade, as market sentiment remained cautious due to continued FII (Foreign Institutional Investor) selling and the monthly Sensex expiry. The Nifty hovered below the 25,050 mark, while auto stocks extended losses for the second consecutive trading session.

At 10:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, slipped 78.26 points or 0.10% to 81,637.37. The Nifty 50 index lost 16.05 points or 0.06% to 25,040.85.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.17% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.11%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1,959 shares rose and 1,707 shares fel...