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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Most Asian mkts up after currencies across region strengthens

 

MUMBAI--0835 IST--Most Asian indices were higher in early trade after the region's currencies strengthened against the dollar as crude oil prices remained stable Wednesday. However, hostilities in West Asia continued between the US and Iran, which may limit the gains.

 

South Korea's KOSPI led the gains after opening over 2% higher and continued to climb in early trade after shares of index heavyweights Samsung and SK Hynix rose 3-4%. Singapore's FTSE was the only major index in the region which was marginally lower. US indices ended mixed Tuesday after unclear messages on the Iran war added to the volatility in oil prices and hit sentiment on Wall Street.

 

Brent crude oil futures have fallen below $90 per barrel from their three-year highs of nearly $120 per barrel on Monday. At 0805 IST, the May futures of Brent crude were at $88.38 per barrel, up 0.5%. Prices have remained around $90 per barrel amid media reports that the International Energy Agency would conduct its largest ever release of emergency crude oil reserves to offset disruption in oil supply.

 

"The most immediate impact of an oil shock is that it acts like a tax on the economy. When energy prices surge, households spend more on fuel and utilities and less on everything else, which quietly slows consumer demand across the broader economy," David Johnson, chief executive officer of Vervent, told CNBC.

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0813 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4698.91	0.52
Hang Seng Index	26057.18	0.37
Nikkei 225 Day	55387.75	2.1
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3727.06	1.71
KOSPI	5715.01	3.3
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4850.73	(-)0.2
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8726	0.38

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

 

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Equity Alert: Indices seen largely flat at open amid mixed global cues

 

MUMBAI--0822 IST--Benchmark equity indices are expected to open largely flat Wednesday amid mixed global cues. However, indices are expected to see some recovery later in the day, according to technical analysts. The May futures contract of Brent crude oil remained choppy after a report said that the International Energy Agency had proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to offset supply disruptions ‌due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia.

The release would exceed the 182 million barrels of oil that IEA member countries put onto the market in two releases in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported citing officials familiar with the matter. The proposal was circulated at an emergency meeting of energy officials from the IEA's 32 member countries late Tuesday. Following this, the futures contract of Brent Crude Oil on the Intercontinental Exchange swung between gains and losses Tuesday. At 0809 IST, the futures contract was at $88.29 a barrel, up only 0.6% from the previous close.

 

Even though US President Donald Trump signalled that the conflict in West Asia might end soon, the US and Israel pounded Iran Tuesday with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground called "the most intense airstrikes" of the war. Meanwhile, Iranian counterattacks continued, with Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia reporting missile and drone interceptions.

 

Most indices in the Asia-Pacific region traded higher, led by South Korea's KOSPI, which rose over 3%. Overnight in the US, the S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower as traders kept an eye on the US-Iran conflict. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite settled flat. The US stock futures traded near the flatline ahead of key consumer inflation data. 

 

On Wednesday, domestic benchmark indices are seen opening largely flat, Anshul Jain, head of research at Lakshmishree Investment and Securities, said. However, he expects a recovery later in the day. The Nifty 50 is expected to find support at 24200 points and resistance at 24375 points, Jain said. At 0806 IST, the March contract of GIFT Nifty traded at 24298 points, indicating an over 36-point rise from the previous closing price of the Nifty 50. (Arya S. Biju)

 

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Equity Alert: US indices end mixed on uncertainties over West Asia conflict

 

 

MUMBAI--0745 IST--US indices closed mixed Tuesday as uncertainty regarding the conflict in West Asia continued. Two of the three major indices ended in the red after a volatile session, while the Nasdaq Composite was marginally higher. Monday, all major indices had risen after comments made by US President Donald Trump brought down oil prices to near $90 per barrel from the high of $120 per barrel touched earlier.

 

At 0737 IST, May futures contracts of Brent crude oil were at $87.74 per barrel, largely unchanged from Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that the International Energy Agency, a global intergovernmental body that oversees issues related to oil supply, would conduct its largest ever release of emergency crude oil reserves to alleviate the supply disruption in oil. 

Prices of oil fell Tuesday after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US Navy escorted a tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. He later deleted the post following which oil prices rose from their lows, CNBC reported. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later refuted the claim made in Wright's post.

 

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments that Tuesday would be the "most intense day of strikes inside Iran" fueled the uncertainties regarding the conflict in Iran. CBS News reported the US had seen signs that Iran would deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz. 

 

"The market was showing some strength and it has given all that back," Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder, told Reuters. "There's a lot of confusion among investors...You see these headlines coming out of the White House that give the market hope, and then clearer heads prevail and markets realise this is nowhere near over."

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Tuesday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6781.48	(-)0.21
NASDAQ Composite	22697.10	0.01
Dow Jones Industrial Average	47706.51	(-)0.07

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 91.81

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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