Mumbai, Jan. 23 -- The key equity benchmarks ended with major cuts today, marking a sharp reversal from the previous session's gains, as broad-based selling pressure emerged across sectors. Investors turned cautious ahead of the Union Budget 2026 amid rising domestic and global uncertainties. The Nifty ended a tad below the 25,050 mark. All the sectoral indices in the NSE traded in the red, with realty, media, and PSU bank shares losing the most.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tumbled 769.67 points or 0.94% to 81,537.70. The Nifty 50 index lost 241.25 points or 0.95% to 25,048.65.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index dropped 1.56%, while the S&P BSE...