Benchmark equity indices ended lower on Monday, weighed down by losses in banking and financial stocks as investors remained cautious amid rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran.
The Sensex declined 443 points, or 0.57 per cent, to settle at 77,708.52, while the Nifty fell 96 points, or 0.39 per cent, to close at 24,238.50.
Selling pressure was largely concentrated in heavyweight banking and financial stocks, with Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and Maruti Suzuki India emerging as the top losers on the Nifty index.
Despite the weakness in the benchmark indices, the broader market outperformed. The Nifty MidCap index gained 0.6 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index ended 0.16 per cent higher.
Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Private Bank and Nifty Financial Services recorded the sharpest declines, reflecting pressure on financial counters.
On the other hand, the Nifty Pharma and Nifty PSU Bank indices ended with the strongest gains.
-IANS
