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Informist, Friday, Mar. 13, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Most Asian mkts open lower as crude oil prices continue to rise

 

MUMBAI--0820 IST--Most Asian indices opened lower as crude oil prices continued to climb amid escalating tensions in the US-Iran war. On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz would remain shut as a "tool to pressure the enemy". MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares fell 0.5% in early trade, setting itself up for a 1.5% weekly decline. Indices on the Wall Street closed lower on Thursday, which also weighed on Asian peers. 

 

Japan's Nikkei index fell over 1%. Shares of Honda, Ebaba Corp., and SoftBank Group fell around 5?ch. South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index was down over 1% as well. The heavyweight Samsung Electronics was down nearly 2% in the index. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.25%, meanwhile CSI 300 Index traded marginally higher.       

 

Amid growing geopolitcal uncertainties, the US dollar has become the safe-haven choice for investors, placing most ‌Asian currencies under pressure. The dollar was set for a second consecutive week of gains, rising 2% since the war broke out at the end of February, Reuters reported. 

 

Crude oil prices continued to gain momentum, rising above $100 per barrel again, after fresh threats from Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut. Asian countries, which are net importers of oil, felt the heat. Analyts from Goldman Sachs estimate Brent crude oil to average $98 per barrel in March and April, up 40% from the average in 2025 for the same period, CNBC reported.  

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0820 IST :

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4696.25	0.19
Hang Seng Index	25651.78	(-)0.25
Nikkei 225 Day	53786.4	(-)1.22
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3630.91	(-)0.52
KOSPI	5515.21	(-)1.29
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4865.02	0.20
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8639.3	0.12

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

 

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Equity Alert: Indices may open lower as oil prices remain above $100/barrel

 

MUMBAI--0815 IST--Benchmark indices are expected to open a tad lower Friday as oil prices remained higher at around $100 a barrel amid fears of a prolonged conflict in West Asia. The May futures contracts of Brent crude oil came slightly off highs in early trade after the US issued a 30-day licence for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products as a step to stabilise global energy markets. However, it rose again and was at $100.48 per barrel at 0812 IST.

 

Late Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz should be continued as a "tool to pressure the enemy." He also said that all US military bases in West Asia should close immediately and those bases would be attacked. 

 

Adding to the negative sentiment, the International Energy Agency slashed its forecast for global oil demand and supply this year in view of the continuing military conflict in West Asia. Supply in March is expected to drop 8 million barrels per day to 98.8 million barrels per day, the lowest levels since the first quarter of 2022. "The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market," the IEA said. 

 

However, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Thursday said that India is positioned better than most of its peers with supplies flowing in from diversified sources. The world is facing an energy crisis of the current scale for the first time, but India's crude supply position is secure, with no shortage of aviation turbine fuel, petrol, diesel, kerosene, or fuel oil, Puri said in a statement in the Lok Sabha. 

 

Foreign portfolio investors remained net sellers Thursday, selling Indian equities worth INR 70.50 billion. Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors continued to be net buyers, buying equities worth around INR 74.50 billion. 

 

On the data front, India's retail inflation remained benign in February and broadly in line with economists' expectations. However, the ongoing war in West Asia risks raising consumer goods prices, bringing to an end the period of record low inflation, according to economists.

 

The GIFT Nifty indicates a negative opening for the domestic markets Friday. At 0758 IST, the March futures contract of GIFT Nifty traded at 23548.50 points, down around 91 points from the previous closing level of Nifty 50. "The Nifty 50 index is heading towards our previously stated downside targets of 23400–23200 spot levels. We reiterate our sell-on-rise trading approach for Nifty 50 index," Vipin Kumaar, assistant vice-president, technical and derivatives, Globe Capital Market, said. Intraday resistance is placed around 23700–23800 spot levels and support is seen around 23400 levels, Kumaar said.  (Arya S. Biju)

 

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Equity Alert: US indices tumble on surge in crude prices; bk stocks big drag

 

MUMBAI--0730 IST--US indices closed lower Thursday as developments in the US-Iran conflict showed little signs of relenting. All major indices tumbled, closing roughly 2% lower as crude oil prices climbed higher for the third consecutive session after comments made by Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at its lowest level in a month, slipping below 47000 points. On Thursday, three more ships were attacked in the strait, exacerbating anxieties about a prolonged conflict in West Asia.

 

The fall in the stocks of banks and technology companies was a drag on the indices after Morgan Stanley limited withdrawals of private credit funds. Morgan Stanley's private income fund received redemption requests totalling 10.9% of outstanding shares in the first quarter. The fund said it would honour only 5% of requests received amounting to $169 million, CNBC reported. On Thursday, shares of Morgan Stanley fell 4%. Shares of other major players in the financial services space also fell, with Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR down over 1?ch, according to CNBC. 

 

On Thursday, prices of crude oil futures rose 9?ter Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement read on state television that the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut as "a tool to pressure the enemy". He warned that all US bases in West Asia should be shut immediately, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, an official from Iran warned that prices of oil could climb to $200 per barrel. 

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Thursday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6672.62	(-)1.52
NASDAQ Composite	22311.98	(-)1.78
Dow Jones Industrial Average	46677.85	(-)1.56

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 92.19

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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