Mumbai, Aug. 6 -- The key equity benchmarks ended with modest cuts today, extending losses for the second day in a row after the Reserve Bank of India kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.5% and maintained a neutral policy stance. The Nifty settled below the 24,600 level. Barring PSU Bank, all sectoral indices ended in the red, with pharma, IT, and realty stocks declining the most.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, dropped 166.26 points or 0.21% to 80,543.99. The Nifty 50 index fell 75.35 points or 0.31% to 24,574.20. In two consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex declined 60%, while the Nifty shed 0.59%.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index declined 1% ...