Mumbai, June 23 -- The domestic equity benchmarks took a hit today as rising tensions in the Middle East spooked investors. The Nifty closed below the 25,000 mark, dragged down by IT, auto, and FMCG stocks. Brent crude prices edged higher on concerns over potential disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, adding to the nervous energy in the markets.

The S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 511.38 points or 0.62% to 81,896.79. The Nifty 50 index slipped 140.05 points or 0.56% to 24,971.90.

Infosys (down 2.29%), Larsen & Toubro (down 2.11%) and HDFC Bank (down 0.91%) were major drags.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.20% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.57%.

The market breadth was negative. On ...