Mumbai, March 10 -- The domestic benchmark equity indices declined on Monday, erasing early gains as profit-taking took hold in the afternoon. The Nifty slipped below 22,500 after touching an intraday high of 22,676.75. Realty, energy, and PSU bank stocks led the decline. The downturn was triggered by a sharp drop in US stock futures, renewed trade tensions, and weak cues from Asian markets. Investors remained cautious ahead of key economic data releases this week, including CPI figures from both the US and India. Asian markets struggled as concerns over deflationary pressures in China compounded worries about sluggish US growth and escalating global trade tensions.

The S&P BSE Sensex fell 217.41 points or 0.29% to 74,115.17. The Nifty 5...