Mumbai, April 1 -- The headline equity benchmarks traded with major losses in the morning trade. The Nifty traded below the 23,300 level. Realty shares extended losses for two consecutive trading sessions.

At 10:30 ST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, plunged 917.60 points, or 1.19%, to 76,497.32. The Nifty 50 index declined 216.90 points, or 0.17%, to 23,297.65.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 0.42%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.16%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,517 shares rose and 1,052 shares fell. A total of 190 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

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