Mumbai, Aug. 22 -- The domestic equity indices ended sharply lower today, breaking a six-day winning streak as traders booked profits. Sentiment turned cautious ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's address at the Jackson Hole Symposium on August 22, his eighth and final speech at the event before his term ends in May 2026. Investors are awaiting cues for the Fed's September 16-17 policy meeting. The Nifty slipped below the 24,900 mark, weighed down by weakness in banking and metal stocks.

The S&P BSE Sensex declined 693.86 points or 0.85% to 81,306.85. The Nifty 50 index fell 213.65 points or 0.85% to 24,870.10.

HDFC Bank (down 1.28%), Reliance Industries (down 1.08%) and ICICI Bank (down 0.66%) were major drags today.

The broader market...