India, March 23 -- The domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower on Monday, as escalating tensions between the US and Iran, rising crude oil prices and a weakening rupee weighed heavily on investor sentiment. After a strong rebound on Friday, markets opened gap-down and remained under sustained selling pressure throughout the session, with the Nifty briefly slipping below the 22,500 mark intraday for the first time since 9 April 2025 before closing below 22,550. The decline was broad-based, led by consumer durables and metal stocks, amid weak global cues and persistent foreign fund outflows, reflecting heightened risk aversion.

The S&P BSE Sensex tanked 1,836.57 points or 2.46% to 72,696.39. The Nifty 50 index plunged 601.85 points ...