Mumbai, Oct. 23 -- Indian equity markets witnessed sharp losses during the week, with the Sensex declining 2.15% and the Nifty falling 2.63%. The BSE Mid-Cap index fell 5.41%, while the BSE Small-Cap index plunged 6.87%. On the domestic front, Q2 FY27 corporate earnings remained in focus, with Axis Bank and HDFC Bank declining despite reporting year-on-year growth in net profit. Globally, UK consumer price inflation accelerated to 3.5% in September from 3.1% in August, while retail sales volumes declined 0.4%. Japan's exports rose 16.7% year-on-year in September, marking the 13th consecutive month of growth, while core inflation accelerated to 2.1%. In the US, housing starts declined 5.2% month-on-month in September, while initial jobless...