Mumbai, March 3 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with significant losses in mid-morning trade, weighed down by several factors contributing to the market downturn, including foreign investor selling, global economic concerns, and a correction in small-cap and mid-cap stocks. The Nifty tanked below the 22,050 mark. Oil & Gas shares extended losses for the sixth consecutive trading session.

At 11:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tumbled 332.03 points, or 0.45%, to 72,858.09. The Nifty 50 index fell 92.70 points, or 0.42%, to 22,029.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 1.75% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index tanked 2.76%.

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