The key barometers hovered near the flat line in early afternoon trade. Metal shares tumbled while autos and FMCG shares bucked weak market trend. At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 6.05 points or 0.01% at 51,943.49. The Nifty 50 index lost 15.25 points or 0.10% at 15,567.55. The Nifty pared losses after hitting the day's low of 15,528.30 in early afternoon trade. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.39% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index slipped 0.51%. The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,112 shares rose and 1,857 shares fell. A total of 124 shares were unchanged. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, jumped 5.92% to 17.89. The Nifty 29 July 2021 futures were trading at 15,564.45, at a discount of 3.10 points as compared with the spot at 15,567.55.