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Informist, Friday, Mar. 20, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices open higher as crude prices ease; banking, IT cos gain

 

MUMBAI--0953 IST--Benchmark equity indices opened higher Friday as crude oil prices retreated from their recent highs after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington might soon lift sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea. The move could make available about 140 million barrels of oil. However, crude oil prices remained above the psychological mark of $100 per barrel. Information technology and banking stocks were the major gainers in indices.  

 

At 0948 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 23235.05 points, up 232.90 points or 1%, and the BSE Sensex was at 74941.10 points, up 733.86 points or 1%.  

 

IT companies – Tech Mahindra, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Wipro, and Tata Consultancy Services – were up 1-3%. Global technology company Accenture has raised the lower band of its sales growth guidance for 2025-26 (Apr-Mar) to 3% from 2?rlier. The company now expects the full-year sales growth to be 3-5% in local currency compared with 2-5% guided after the November quarter. The clients are finalising their budget for 2026 with similar spending levels from 2025, Nomura said, citing the management of Accenture. The brokerage is of the view that demand conditions are largely the same as the previous year in the industry. 

 

Tata Steel was the top gaining stock in the Nifty 50 index, rising over 4%. Its peer, JSW Steel, rose nearly 3%. State Bank of India, Coal India, Larsen & Toubro, Power Grid Corp. of India, Bajaj Auto, and NTPC rose 2–3%. On the other hand, the heavyweight banking stock HDFC Bank and Shriram Finance were the worst hit in the index. They fell nearly 1?ch. HDFC Life Insurance Co.'s shares were down 0.3%.   

 

Shares of oil marketing companies Hindustan Petroleum Corp., Indian Oil Corp., and Bharat Petroleum Corp. rose 3-4%. HPCL was the top gainer among Nifty 200 constituents. Its shares rose amid easing crude oil prices.

 

In the previous session, the May futures of Brent Crude had hit a high of $119 per barrel after Iran launched targeted attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf region. Prices eased amig signs of de-escalation of the war, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the war in West Asia is likely to end sooner. At 0950 IST, the May futures of Brent Crude Oil was at $106.72 per barrel, down nearly 2% from the previous close.  

 

In contrast, defying the gains in its peers, IT major LTIMindTree was the worst-hit stock in both the Nifty 200 and Nifty 500 indices. The stock fell over 3%. In the Nifty 200, shares of public sector banks Canara Bank and Union Bank rose nearly 5% and over 4% respectively. GMR Airports rose 5% as well. Happiest Minds Technology was the top gaining stock among the Nifty 500 constituents. Its shares were up over 10%.  (Adhithya Aji)  

 

 

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Equity Alert: Indices may open higher as oil retreats on supply boost hopes

 

MUMBAI--0810 IST--Benchmark equity indices are expected to open higher as oil prices fell after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington may soon lift sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea. The move would make available about 140 million barrels of oil, Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business. The sentiment was also lifted after US President Trump said he wouldn't "put troops anywhere" when asked about moving forces toward Iran. 

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told reporters that Israel is assisting US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. He said Iran no longer has the capability to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles, adding that the war could end sooner than many expect. Trump has also asked Netanyahu not to attack oil and gas fields in Iran, a day after Israel struck facilities linked to Iran's South Pars gas field, reports said. 

 

Bessent also said the US was considering to release more oil from its strategic reserves and Japan could do the same from its own stockpiles. Earlier this month, the US said it would release 172 million barrels of oil from its emergency stockpiles. This comes a day after oil prices surged to an intraday high of over $119 per barrel as some of the world's most critical energy facilities were hit in a fresh wave of attacks in West Asia. However, crude oil prices are still above the $100-per-barrel level. At 0812 IST, the May futures contract of Brent crude traded 2.6% lower at $105.81 per barrel.  

 

US stock futures saw a slight rise in early trade as oil prices eased. Major equity indices in Asia were mixed in early trade, with China's CSI 300 index and South Korea's KOSPI trading 0.6% higher each, while others traded 0.3-3.4% lower.

 

The March futures contract of GIFT Nifty indicated a positive open for the Nifty 50. At 0759 IST, the contract traded at 23232 points, over 200 points higher than Nifty 50's previous close. "The Nifty (50) index has reached the support zones situated around the 22800–23000 spot levels. While the chart structure remains weak, we expect the index to stabilise or halt near these support levels," Vipin Kumaar, senior technical and derivatives analyst at Globe Capital Market, said. However, a decisive break below 22800 points could drag the index toward the 22000–22500 range in the near term, he said. On the flip side, immediate resistance is placed around the 23400–23600 spot levels, he added. (Arya S. Biju)

 

 

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Equity Alert: Most Asian markets down as US-Iran war raises inflation risk

 

MUMBAI--0803 IST--Most stock indices in Asia fell as US-Iran hostilities continued in West Asia, raising risks of higher inflation. Central banks across the globe pointed to the risk of inflation due to higher crude oil prices, with some even ready to hike interest rates if necessary.

 

Iran attacked the world's largest gas plant in Qatar, which has likely wiped out 17% of the country's liquefied natural gas export capacity, Qatar's state minister for energy affairs told Reuters. Indices in Japan were the worst hit, with the Nikkei 225 Day down more than 3%. The index is down more 9% since the US-Iran war started. 

 

Brent crude oil futures came off highs after US President Donald Trump denied plans of using ground troops against Iran, and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was likely to end soon. However, prices remain above $100 per barrel, which is expected to push inflation higher. At 0757 IST, the May contracts of Brent crude oil was trading at $105.58 per barrel, down nearly 3%. 

 

Following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0800 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4601.00	0.39
Hang Seng Index	25311.91	(-)0.74
Nikkei 225 Day	53372.53	(-)3.38
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3609.40	(-)2.91
KOSPI	5791.06	0.48
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4946.44	(-)0.43
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8468.20	(-)0.35

 

(Anshul Choudhary)

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Equity Alert: US indices end down Thu amid inflation risk due to US-Iran war

 

MUMBAI--0740 IST--Stock indices in the US ended slightly lower Thursday amid fears of higher inflation due to a surge in crude oil prices. Hostilities between the US and Iran continue, with reports of blasts in Tehran and Jerusalem, raising risks of a prolonged war.

 

Central banks across the world pointed to risk of higher inflation due to the hostilities in West Asia, which have led to soaring oil and gas prices. On Wednesday, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also warned about uncertainity due to the war.

 

Due to the risk of higher inflation, most market participants have given up hopes of rate cuts in the US, at least for this year. The CME FedWatch tool shows nearly a 50% probability of no rate cuts this year. Some have even started expecting a rate hike, with a 20% probability of a 25 basis point increase in interest rates this year.

 

While the S&P 500 fell as much as 0.7% intraday due to inflation risks, it pared some of the losses after US President Donald Trump said he was not using ground troops in West Asia. Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran was likely to end "faster than people think". The S&P 500 closed 0.3% lower. 

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Thursday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6606.49	(-)0.27
NASDAQ Composite	22090.691	(-)0.28
Dow Jones Industrial Average	46021.43	(-)0.44

 

(Anshul Choudhary)

 

US$1 = INR 93.14

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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