Mumbai, June 23 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with moderate losses in the mid- afternoon trade, recovering partially from sharp early declines. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid escalating geopolitical tensions following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Nifty traded below the 25,000 level. Private Bank shares slipped after advancing for previous trading session.

At 14:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 435.53 points or 0.53% to 81,957.46. The Nifty 50 index slipped 128.20 points or 0.52% to 24,982.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.14% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.42%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE,...