New Delhi, Dec. 8 -- Indian stock benchmarks sharply tilted downwards on Monday, starting the fresh week on a dampening note, with all sectoral indices in the red, due to a host of factors, both local and global.

Media, metal, pharma, PSU banks, private banks, realty, consumer durables, chemicals, and all others, tanked sharply during the session.

Sensex closed at 85,102.69 points, down 609.68 points or 0.71 per cent, while Nifty closed at 25,960.55, down 225.90 points or 0.86 per cent, respectively.

"On the sectoral front, none of the sectors ended in green. Nifty India Defence was the top sectoral loser, losing 3.68 per cent, followed by Nifty Realty, which continued its underperformance, closing 3.53 per cent lower. With regards to ...