Mumbai, Dec. 30 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with minor losses in early afternoon trade as muted year-end activity and continued concerns over foreign fund flows kept investors on the sidelines. The Nifty traded below 26,000 level. Realty shares extended losses three consecutive trading session.

At 12:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped 169.45 points or 0.20% to 84,526.09. The Nifty 50 index lost 53.70 points or 0.21% to 25,888.40.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.41%, while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.56%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,664 shares rose and 2,252 shares fell. A total of 213 shares were unchanged.

Derivative...