The benchmark indices ended lower today amid selling across the sectors barring IT and pharma. Sensex closed below 71,100 points and Nifty around 21,600 mark.

The Sensex tumbled 523 points, or 0.73 percent, to finish at 71,072. The Nifty declined 166 points, or 0.76 percent, to settle at 21,616.

In the broader market at the BSE, the Mid-Cap index tumbled 2.62 percent while the Small-cap index plunged 3.16 percent.

In the Sensex Index, which is a pack of 30 companies, shares of eight companies appreciated while those of 22 companies declined. Wipro gained 2.3 percent, HCL Tech rose 2.1 percent and Mahindra & Mahindra added 0.8 percent.

On the other hand, Tata Steel fell 2.8 percent and NTPC lost 2.7 percent. SBI slipped 2.3 percent and IndusInd Bank fell 2.2 percent.

In sectoral indices at the BSE, three sector registered gains, while 17 witnessed losses.

Healthcare sector gained 0.3 percent, IT index rose 0.2 percent and Teck added 0.1 percent.

On the other side, Utilities declined 3.6 percent and Telecommunication fell 3.4 percent. Realty lost three percent and Industrial index slipped 2.9 percent.

The overall Market breadth was negative, as the shares of 1,004 companies appreciated while those of 2,986 declined. A total of 89 companies remained unchanged.