Mumbai, Nov. 3 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor losses in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded below 26,700 level. Oil & Gas shares extended gains for the second consecutive trading session.

In the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 105.72 points or 0.13% to 83,832.99. The Nifty 50 index shed 9.20 points or 0.04% to 25,712.90.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.38%, while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index advanced 0.53%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 2,096 shares rose and 1,947 shares fell. A total of 238 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was up from 57.7 in Sept...