India, Aug. 14 -- Market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Friday, 14 Aug as the prolonged U.S.-Iran impasse weighed heavily on investor sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was down 298.75 points to 77,760.21, while the 50-share NSE Nifty declined 74.20 points to 24,321.90 in early trade.

From the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Tech Mahindra, Power Grid and ITC were among the major laggards, while Eternal, Titan, Adani Ports and Bajaj Finance were among the winners.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded 0.06% higher at USD 87.12 per barrel. "The unresolved U.S.-Iran standoff continues to underpin crude oil prices, leaving oil-importing economies such as India more vulnerable ...