Mumbai, May 6 -- After a two-day sprint, the bulls hit the pause button on Tuesday. Benchmark indices closed in the red, as investors turned cautious ahead of the U.S. Fed's policy decision and rising geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan kept nerves on edge.

The day's trading played out like a rollercoaster-starting with a subdued opening, diving sharply mid-session, and settling into a narrow band till the finish. Amid the gloom, the auto sector emerged as the sole outperformer, revving ahead while the rest of the sectoral pack idled. Sector indices on the NSE ended in a sea of red, with PSU banks and realty names taking the brunt of the sell-off.

By the close, the S&P BSE Sensex shed 155.77 points, or 0.19%, to finish at 8...