Market Performance - Stock markets closed lower for the third consecutive session, with the benchmark Sensex dropping nearly 314 points due to selling in IT and auto shares as foreign fund outflows dampened investor sentiment [1] - The 30-share BSE Sensex fell by 313.70 points or 0.37 percent to settle at 84,587.01, with 24 constituents closing lower and six gaining [3] - The 50-share NSE Nifty declined 74.70 points or 0.29 percent to 25,884.80, having dropped 307 points or over 1 percent in three sessions since Friday [4] Sector Performance - Major laggards among Sensex stocks included Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Trent, Infosys, Power Grid, HDFC Bank, HCL Tech, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank, and Bajaj Finance [4] - Gainers included Bharat Electronics, State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Industries [6] Institutional Activity - Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,171.75 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 4,512.87 crore in the previous trade [6] - The domestic market experienced sharp volatility driven by a weakening INR and continued FII outflows [6] Investor Sentiment - Caution prevailed as investors awaited clarity on a possible rate cut in the upcoming FOMC meeting and progress on the Indo-US trade deal, despite some improving signals [7] Global Market Context - In Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index settled in positive territory [8] - Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dipped 0.69 percent to $62.93 per barrel [8]