India, Sept. 3 -- Stock markets declined for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, with the benchmark Sensex closing nearly 374 points lower amid a bearish trend in global equities and higher oil prices due to escalating conflict in West Asia.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 373.93 points, or 0.49 per cent, to settle at 76,570.35, dragged by selling in auto, IT, and banking shares. During the day, it tumbled 808.56 points, or 1.05 per cent, to 76,135.72.

The 50-share NSE Nifty slumped 141.35 points, or 0.59 per cent, to end at 23,914.45. The index moved between a high of 23,914.45 and a low of 23,786.80 during the day. Among the 30 Sensex firms, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Tech, Bharat Electronics and Infosys wer...