Stocks fall for third session

Stocks hit a soft patch for the third straight day, as the Sensex succumbed to a slump in European markets as it wiped off early gains and ended lower at 28,224 - an almost one-month low - ahead of the derivatives expiry. The benchmark lost 478.85 points in the previous two sessions. The Nifty managed to close above the 8,700 mark, but was still down 16.65 points at 8,706.40.