The Nifty slipped below the 24,350 level, and the Sensex fell by 450 points in Wednesday’s afternoon session, dragged down by weak performance in banking and pharmaceutical sectors. Key gainers on the Nifty included Adani Enterprises, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Consumer, IndusInd Bank, and Adani Ports, while Cipla, Shriram Finance, Trent, SBI Life Insurance, and Dr. Reddy's Labs led the declines.

In sectoral movement, FMCG, auto, and capital goods stocks saw positive traction, while banking and pharma stocks faced pressure. Meanwhile, the BSE Midcap index edged up by 0.3 percent, with the Smallcap index making a stronger 1.5 percent gain, signaling investor preference for mid- and small-cap segments amid sectoral volatility.