Closing bell: Indian benchmark indices ended lower on Thursday with losses in information technology and financial services stocks. Market witnessed sharp fall in the last hour as August series of futures and options contract expired today.

MCX gold October futures climbed 0.6 percent to touch the intraday high of Rs 51,759 per 10 grams. White metal future, jumped 1.3 percent to Rs 55,650 per kilogram.

LIC share price: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) shares rose on Thursday as the state-run insurer's stock traded ex-dividend — which means a stock purchased now will not be eligible for the next dividend payout. The ex-dividend date is usually one business day before the record date.

Stock Market Highlights: Indian equity benchmarks sank into the red in the final 30 minutes of volatile trade on Thursday, as traders rushed to square off their positions in monthly derivatives (futures and options) contracts due by the end of the session. The India VIX — known in market parlance as the fear index — surged 6.2 percent to settle at 19.6, having surged as much as 9.7 percent during the session. Broader indices were a mixed bag, with the Nifty Smallcap 100 rising 0.5 percent but the Nifty Midcap 100 declining 0.1 percent. Globally, investors remained on the back foot ahead of updates from a key gathering of central bankers at the annual Jackson Hole symposium.