Mumbai, March 26 -- The key equity indices ended with major losses on Wednesday, snapping seven-day winning streak as traders booked profits. The Nifty settled below the 23,500 level after hitting the day's high of 23,736.50 in early trade.

Barring the auto index, all sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the red, with media, oil & gas, and realty shares declining the most.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 728.69 points or 0.93% to 77,288.50. The Nifty 50 index fell 181.80 points or 0.77% to 23,486.85.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.67% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 1.45%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 919 shares rose and 3,115 shares fell. ...