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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices may open higher as crude dn on US' peace plan for Iran

 

MUMBAI--0830 IST--Headline indices are expected to open higher on Wednesday, as crude oil prices fell after reports said the US is seeking a month-long ceasefire in its war on Iran, and has sent a 15-point plan to Tehran for discussion, raising hopes for resumption of oil exports out of the Persian Gulf. The May futures contract of Brent crude oil on the Intercontinental Exchange plunged over 7% in early trade to a low of around $97 per barrel. At 0808 IST, the futures contract traded around 6% lower at $98.44 per barrel. 

 

The US has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, via Pakistan, whose army chief has emerged as the key interlocutor between the US and Iran, the New York Times reported, citing sources. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said talks to end the war are happening "now" and people that the US were in discussions with "want to make a deal so badly." The US is also said to have proposed a one-month cease-fire, according to an Israeli media outlet, Channel 12. It's unclear if Iran, which has denied any talks, would accept the plan as a starting point for negotiations. Nor was it clear whether Israel, which has been bombing Iran together with the US, was on board with the proposal, the New York Times report said. 

 

In another development, the Iranian mission in New York, in a post on 'X', said "non-hostile" vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz, "in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities." The mission said the vessels could travel the waterway if they "neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran" and comply with safety and security regulations. However, the US, Israeli and Iranian strikes continued and reports said that the US is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to West Asia. 

 

Wednesday, the Nifty 50 index is expected to open on a positive gap-up note, Sundar Kewat, technical and derivative analyst at Ashika Institutional Equities said. "The 23000 (points) level is likely to act as a strong technical as well as psychological support, and any dip towards this zone could be viewed as a buying opportunity, potentially pushing the index (Nifty 50) towards 23500 (points). On the upside, 23500 (points) is expected to act as a key resistance level, where the index may face some consolidation or selling pressure," Kewat said. (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: US futures rise on signs of resolution to US-Iran hostilities

 

MUMBAI--0750 IST--Futures contracts of US indices rose around 1?ch after reports suggested that the US had approaced Iran for a resolution to the conflict in West Asia. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that the US had sent a 15-point plan to Iran to end the war, although it was unclear if Israel, which has been attacking Iran alongside the US, had agreed to this plan.

 

Oil prices fell sharply after the report, leading to gains in the futures market. At 0745 IST, Brent crude oil May futures were down more than 6% at nearly $98 per barrel.

 

Major US Indices closed lower on Tuesday after Iran initially denied being in talks with the US to end the war. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite was the worst hit among its peers. Energy was the top-performing sector in the S&P 500 on Tuesday, rising 2%. It was the only sector in the S&P to record gains on a month-to-date basis, rising more than 9% in that timeframe, Reuters reported.

 

Investors remain wary of Trump's comments as Iran had refuted similar comments made by Trump on Monday. Since then, Israel and Iran exchanged strikes even as the US postponed strikes on Iran's power infrastructure by five days due to alleged negotiations. Another report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Pentagon would deploy 3,000 additional troops in West Asia to support operations against Iran.

 

Amid the uncertainty, 2-year US treasury yields rose more than 9 basis points on Tuesday to 3.925?ter a weak auction with the bid-to-cover ratio at 2.44, the narrowest since May 2024, CNBC reported. The auction saw the weakest participation by direct bidders since March 2025.

 

Concerns about the private credit sector resurfaced following a report that Ares Management had limited redemptions at its private credit fund to 5% as did Apollo Global Management amidst surging withdrawal requests. While shares of Apollo ended 0.7% higher, those of Ares Management and peer Blackstone ended around 1% lower.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Tuesday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6556.37	(-)0.37
NASDAQ Composite	21761.89	(-)0.84
Dow Jones Industrial Average	46124.06	(-)0.18

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 93.87

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

 

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

 

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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