Mumbai, Dec. 30 -- The benchmark equity indices closed marginally lower on Tuesday as persistent foreign institutional selling and thin year-end trading kept sentiment subdued. The absence of fresh domestic cues and caution ahead of the Q3 earnings season also weighed on the indices. The Nifty slipped below the 25,950 level after hitting an intraday high of 26,976.75 in early trade. Volatility remained elevated due to the monthly derivatives expiry. Consumer durables and IT stocks declined, while metal, PSU bank and auto shares ended higher.

The S&P BSE Sensex declined 20.46 points or 0.02% to 84,675.08. The Nifty 50 index lost 3.25 points or 0.01% to 25,938.85. The 50 unit index is down 0.91% in four consecutive sessions.

Infosys (down...