Volatility and caution in the markets, as indicated by the India VIX index, soared three percent to the 18.04 mark.

All sectoral indices, barring the metals and media gauges, fell to the bears, with the Nifty IT, Nifty Auto, and Nifty Consumer Durables indices sinking up to 1.2 percent in trade.

The broader markets performed marginally better than the benchmarks, with the midcap stocks falling 0.4 percent, and the #smallcap benchmark slipping 0.2 percent in trade.