Mumbai, June 8 -- The domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower on Monday, extending losses for a second consecutive session. Sentiment weakened amid a broad selloff across Asian market, rising crude oil prices and escalating tensions in West Asia. Concerns over a potential U.S. interest rate hike also weighed on investor mood. The Nifty closed below the 23,150 mark, dragged lower by metal and auto stocks. Selling pressure was widespread across sectors. Healthcare stocks, however, bucked the trend and ended in positive territory.

The S&P BSE Sensex tanked 719.08 points or 0.97% to 73,524.26. The Nifty 50 index lost 243.70 points or 1.04% to 23,123. In two consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex declined 1.13% while the Nifty 50 fel...