Mumbai, May 27 -- The key equity benchmarks ended slightly lower on Wednesday, extending losses for a second straight session as investors remained cautious amid lingering US-Iran geopolitical tensions and foreign fund outflows. Despite weak sentiment, broader markets outperformed the frontline indices on the back of stock-specific buying. The Nifty briefly neared the 24,000 level in morning trade before profit booking erased gains. Monthly Sensex expiry also added to volatility, though late-session buying helped the market recover from the day's lows. The Nifty eventually settled below the 23,950 mark. Metal and auto shares gained, while private banks and financial stocks came under pressure.

The S&P BSE Sensex, declined 141.90 points o...