Mumbai, July 25 -- The domestic equity benchmarks ended with major losses today. The Nifty settled below 24,850 mark. Barring the Nifty Pharma index, all sectoral indices on the NSE ended in the red.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tanked 721.08 points or 0.88% to 81,463.09. The Nifty 50 index declined 225.10 points or 0.90% to 24,837. In two consecutive trading sessions, the Sensex declined 1.52% while the Nifty fell 1.51%.

The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.46% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index tanked 1.88%.

The overall market breadth was weak, with a greater number of declining stocks than advancing ones. On the BSE, 1,133 stocks advanced...