Mumbai, Sept. 9 -- The domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower today, extending their decline for the third consecutive session as elevated crude oil prices heightened concerns over the macroeconomic outlook. Persistent geopolitical uncertainty, rupee weakness and renewed FII selling further weighed on investor sentiment. The ongoing IPO rush, with 10 issues open for subscription, also diverted liquidity from the secondary market. The Nifty closed below the 23,450 mark, dragged by IT and FMCG shares. However, metal and pharma shares remained in demand.

The S&P BSE Sensex tanked 813.35 points or 1.08% to 74,764.23. The Nifty 50 index tumbled 203.60 points or 0.86% to 23,431.50. Over the three consecutive sessions, the Sensex and Ni...