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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices seen opening sharply dn amid escalating W Asia conflict

 

MUMBAI--0837 IST--Headline indices are expected to open sharply lower Wednesday, extending the sell-off from Monday, amid escalating tensions in West Asia. The widening conflict in the region continued to rattle equity markets around the globe with no signs of concluding. Indian stock markets were closed Tuesday for Holi.

 

The Gift Nifty is indicating another round of a big gap-down opening, following a knee-jerk reaction in global equity markets amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Vipin Kumaar, assistant vice president – technical and derivatives at Globe Capital Market, said. At 0813 IST, the March contracts of the Nifty 50 traded on the NSE International Exchange at 24431.50 points, indicating a fall of over 400 points from Monday's close. A sustained trading below the 24600 spot level, is expected to drag the Nifty 50 index down to 24300–24000 levels in the near term, Kumaar said. He also expects volatility to remain on the higher side amid the continuing tensions in the region.  

 

Oil prices continued to rise on fears of a prolonged disruption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route that accounts for nearly 20% of global crude oil and gas flows. The May futures contract of  crude oil opened at $82 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange, over 5% higher than Monday's close and nearly 1% up from Tuesday. At 0747 IST, the Brent crude oil futures were at $82.38 per barrel, up nearly 6% from Monday's close.      

 

Asian markets remained under pressure Wednesday, with South Korea's KOSPI leading the losses. The index shed nearly 7% Wednesday, extending a steep sell-off from the day before when the index recorded its worst day in 19 months. Overnight in the US, stocks had another wild session with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite, and the S&P 500 closing around 1% lower each.  

 

In the domestic market, foreign portfolio investors continued to be net sellers Monday, selling Indian equities worth INR 32.96 billion. At the same time, domestic institutional investors net bought equities worth nearly INR 85.94 billion.  

   

Retail-focused jewellery brand, PNGS Reva Diamond Jewellery Ltd. will list on the bourses Wednesday. The issue price is set at INR 386 per share. (Arya S. Biju)

 

 

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Equity Alert: Asian indices tumble on concerns over high energy costs

 

MUMBAI--0755 IST--Indices across Asia fell sharply for the third session in a row as the US-Iran military conflict raised concerns over disruption in oil supplies, which could lead to higher energy costs. Trading in South Korea's KOSPI was paused briefly after it hit a 5% lower circuit.

 

The KOSPI has lost 14% in the last three sessions. Among other major indices in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 8% during the three sessions and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell nearly 5%.

 

Higher energy cost is a major concern for countries across Asia as a major chunk of their oil needs are met by West Asian countries. Iran intensified its attack on US military bases across the region and hit energy infrastructre, raising concerns of disruptions in oil supply. Shares of energy companies across Asia fell.

 

Brent crude oil May futures have jumped to near $82-per-barrel level from around $70 per barrel before the US and Israel attacked Iran last week. At 0741 IST, Brent crude futures were at $81.95 per barrel, up nearly 1%.

 

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US Navy will protect ships going through the Strait of Hormuz if needed. However, media reports said Iran has warned that it will attack any ship trying to cross the Strait.

 

Meanwhile, China's official data showed the manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49 in February from 49.3 in January. It was also below market's expectations of 49.3, Dow Jones reported. The PMI fell as manufacturers paused production due to an extended holiday on account of Spring Festival. 

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0754 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4625.52	(-)0.65
Hang Seng Index	25364.19	(-)1.57
Nikkei 225 Day	54281.4	(-)3.55
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3637.62	(-)3.57
KOSPI	5411.5	(-)6.57
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4819.82	(-)1.97
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8905.9	(-)1.89

 

(Anshul Choudhary)

 

 

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Equity Alert: US indices fall 1?ter Iran intensifies attack in West Asia

 

MUMBAI--0720 IST--Indices in the US dropped around 1?ch as the US-Iran military conflict entered its fourth day. Crude oil futures jumped as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed and Iran attacked several other countries in West Asia, targetting US military bases and energy infrastructure.

 

Brent crude oil May futures had jumped to $85 per barrel on Tuesday as Iran intensified its attacks. Post this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8%, closing at its lowest level in over a month. At 0706 IST, crude oil futures were up 1% at $82.55 per barrel. 

   

Media reports said the conflict between the US-Israel combine and Iran could last longer than previously expected after the latter upped its attacks on US bases. US President Donald Trump also suggested the hostilities with Iran may last for weeks. Iran-backed Hezbollah also attacked regions in Israel, raising the risk of a wider conflict in West Asia.

 

"I do think the possibility of a more prolonged mission can weigh on markets for the next several weeks," Jeffrey O'Connor, US head of equity market structure at Liquidnet, told CNBC. "Historically, the US market is able to overlook a geopolitical shock like this, but that said, the Strait of Hormuz is closed."

 

All the sectors of the S&5 500 fell, with materials and industrials witnessing the biggest fall. There were concerns the higher oil prices and borrowing costs will hit the US economy and lead to higher inflation, CNBC reported. 

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Tuesday:  

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6816.63	(-)0.94
NASDAQ Composite	22516.69	(-)1.02
Dow Jones Industrial Average	48501.27	(-)0.83

 

(Anshul Choudhary)

 

US$1 = INR 91.47

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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