Mumbai, Feb. 24 -- The domestic equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the morning trade, dragged down by heavy selling in index heavyweight Bharti Airtel and weakness across IT stocks. Investor sentiment remained subdued after U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed tariff threats rattled global markets, while the expiry of monthly F&O contracts on the NSE added to the volatility in early trade.

The Nifty traded below the 25,500 level. IT shares extended losses for the fifth consecutive trading session.

At 10:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 769.56 points or 0.92% to 82,525.10. The Nifty 50 index fell 213.06 points or 0.80% to 25,499.25.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 Mi...