Mumbai, May 18 -- The key equity benchmarks witnessed sharp sell-off in morning trade mirroring weak global cues. Investor sentiment remained subdued amid uncertainty surrounding geopolitical developments. The rupee depreciated, while Brent crude prices rallied above the $110-per-barrel mark. Nifty hovered below the 23,400 level.

Consumer durables shares extend losses for a third consecutive session.

At 10:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 832.12 points or 1.10% to 74,413.21 The Nifty 50 index dropped 261.20 points or 1.10% to 23,382.30.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index tumbled 1.66% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 2.57%.

The market breadth was negative. On...