Mumbai, April 8 -- Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty were hit by volatility and registered losses on Monday as investors turned cautious ahead of the start of corporate earnings season and polling for the general elections.

The BSE gauge Sensex ended lower by 161.70 points at 38,700.53, while the NSE Nifty lost 61.45 points to settle the day at 11,604.50.

Losses mainly in financial, metal and energy stocks dragged the Sensex into the red.

Oil stocks came under pressure due to constant rise in global crude oil prices.

International benchmark Brent was trading at 70.81 per barrel, up 0.67 per cent.

Among the Sensex constituents, Yes Bank emerged as the biggest laggard with 2.66 per cent drop in share price. Other top losers were Bajaj...