Mumbai, Sept. 2 -- Equity benchmarks ended in the red on Tuesday, snapping early gains as profit booking and the weekly expiry of derivatives contracts on the NSE pulled indices lower. Investors also remained cautious amid global uncertainty and ahead of the key Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting scheduled for September 3 and 4.

The Nifty opened strong above the 24,650 mark and climbed to an intraday high of 24,756.10. However, selling pressure in the latter half of the session dragged it below the 24,600 level at close. Banks and financials were the biggest drags, while FMCG and metal counters lent some support to the market.

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) ushered in a structural shift to derivatives trading by ch...