Buy or sell stocks, May 9 -- Indian equity benchmarks extended their losing streak for a second straight session on Friday, 8 May, weighed down largely by sharp weakness in banking and financial counters. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, prompting selective buying across sectors. Although Brent crude prices softened during the session, the global oil benchmark continued to hover close to the $100-per-barrel mark, keeping markets on edge.

The BSE Sensex closed 516 points lower, or 0.66%, at 77,328.19, while the NSE Nifty 50 slipped 151 points, or 0.62%, to settle at 24,176.15.

Financial stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The Nifty PSU Bank index emerged as the biggest...