Indian stock markets settled in the negative territory on Wednesday. Sensex shed 318.76 points or 0.39% to settle at 81,501.36. Similarly, Nifty ended at 24,971.30, down 86.05 points or 0.34%. Among the broader indices, the Small managed to settle in the green with marginal gains of 0.01%, while the Midcap index ended down by 0.24%.