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Informist, Monday, Mar. 30, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices open lower; crude oil prices weigh amid West Asia war

 

MUMBAI--0950 IST--On the last trading session of the month, the benchmark equity indices opened sharply lower Monday as crude oil prices surged amid the West Asia war. The May futures of the Brent Crude Oil contract extended gains for the third straight session, and stood above the $110-per-barrel mark. Crude oil prices continued to rise on concerns over supply disruptions amid the Yemeni Houthis launching attacks on Israel over the weekend.

 

At 0942 IST, the Nifty 50 was at 22680.55 points, down 139.05 points or 0.6% and the BSE Sensex was at 73058.81, down 524.41 points or 0.7%. Less than 15 of the Nifty 50 constituents were in the green. India VIX, the fear gauge of the domestic equity market, was up over 7%, indicating a rise in nervousness among investors.

 

"The Goldilocks macro scenario which India had before the war has almost disappeared thanks to the war...now we face prospects of lower GDP growth, higher inflation, higher fiscal and current account deficits and lower earnings growth for FY27 (2026-27 Apr-Mar)," V.K. Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Investments, said in a note.

 

The rupee surged after the Reserve Bank of India tightened onshore foreign exchange net open position norms, which mandate lenders to ensure that net open rupee positions in the onshore deliverable foreign exchange market do not exceed $100 ‌million at the end of each business day, latest by Apr. 10. 

 

Broader market indices also extended losses. All the smallcap as well as midcap indices were down over 1%.

 

Sectoral indices showed a mixed performance, with most of them in negative territory. Barring the Nifty Metal, the Nifty Oil & Gas, the Nifty Energy, and the Nifty Media, all other sectoral indices were lower. The Nifty Private Bank was the worst hit sectoral index, down over 2%, with all its constituents in the red.

 

Banking stocks fell the most at open. Index heavyweight Axis Bank pulled the 50-stock index sharply down, being the biggest laggard among the constituents. The stock was down 4%. It was followed by Kotak Mahindra Bank, which was down over 3%. Both stocks were also the worst hit among the Nifty Bank constituents. The sectoral index was down over 2%.

 

Hindalco Industries was the top gainer among the 50-stock constituents, up 4%. Most metal stocks rose in the early session. National Aluminium Co. was up 6%. Shares of Vedanta were up nearly 4%. The Nifty Metal index was the top gainer among the sectoral indices, up over 1%. IRB Infrastructure Developers was the worst hit among the Nifty 500 stocks, down almost 46%. The stock was sharply down as it was set to trade ex-bonus from Monday.  (Arundathi A R)

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Equity Alert: Asian indices open lower Mon as West Asia war enters 2nd month

 

MUMBAI--0830 IST--All major Asian stock indices opened lower Monday as the war between US-Israel and Iran entered its second month. High Brent crude oil futures, at around $116 per barrel, affected investor sentiment. Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix, and South Korea's Kospi posted the steepest decline, down 4?ch. The Kospi had opened nearly 5% lower.

 

Bank of Japan's Governor Kazuo Ueda said that the central bank would closely monitor currency moves. The Japanese yen on Friday hit 160.15, its lowest level against the dollar since July 2024. "Currency market moves are obviously among factors that hugely affect economic and price developments," Kazuo Ueda said as reported by Reuters. "We will guide policy appropriately by scrutinising how currency moves could affect the likelihood of achieving our growth and price forecasts, as well as risks," Ueda added.

 

Meanwhile, the Anthony Albanese-led Australian government slashed fuel excise by half to 26.4 cents from 52.6 cents amid rising crude oil prices. The reduced fuel prices will kick in from Wednesday. "We are making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure," Albanese said, as reported by The Guardian. The ASX 200 was down over 1% Monday.

 

Following were the levels of major Asian indices at 0833 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4466.6261	(-)0.80
Hang Seng Index	24668.92	(-)1.53
Nikkei 225 Day	50936.13	(-)4.57
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3497.34	(-)4.17
KOSPI	5225.56	(-)3.92
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4888.10	(-)0.21
S P/ ASX 200 INDEX	8407.30	(-)1.28

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

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Equity Alert: Indices may open dn as crude rises on widening W Asia conflict

 

MUMBAI--0815 IST--Benchmark equity indices are expected to open sharply lower on the last trading session of March, as oil prices extended gains due to rising concerns about supply disruptions amid Yemeni Houthis launching their first attacks on Israel over the weekend, widening the conflict in West Asia. Additionally, US President Donald Trump is seeking to take control over Iran's oil sector and seize its export hub of Kharg Island, according to reports. At 0809 IST, Brent Crude Oil futures traded 3.6% higher at $116.61 per barrel. 

 

"The conflict is no longer concentrated in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait ‌of Hormuz, but now extends into the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb — one of the world's most crucial chokepoints for crude and refined product flows," Reuters reported, citing analysts at JP Morgan. In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said his "preference would be to take the oil," comparing it to the US military operation in Venezuela earlier this year when the US effectively gained control of the country's oil industry after the capture of its leader Nicols Maduro.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that Trump was weighing a military operation to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, a complex and risky mission that would likely put American forces inside the country for days or longer. However, Trump hasn't made a decision on whether to give the order, the officials said. Adding to the tensions, the Washington Post Saturday reported that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran as thousands of US troops arrive in the region. It was unclear whether Trump would approve all, some or none of the Pentagon's plans, the report said. Following this, Iran on Sunday said it was ready to face US troops on the ground, accusing Washington of secretly planning an assault while seeking negotiations to end the war.

 

Higher oil prices amid supply disruptions and the escalating conflict in West Asia have spurred concerns about higher inflation and interest rate hikes by central banks across the globe. Policymakers at the Bank of Japan discussed the need for further rate hikes at their March meeting, as rising oil prices linked to the West Asia conflict add to inflation pressures, CNBC reported, citing a summary of opinions released Monday. 

 

In the previous week, the Nifty 50 closed below the crucial 23000 points level, which serves as both a technical and psychological support, indicating underlying weakness, Sundar Kewat, technical and derivative analyst at Ashika Institutional Equities, said. The near-term outlook remains bearish as the index has failed to sustain at higher levels, suggesting continued selling pressure on rallies. "Going forward, the index is likely to drift lower towards the 22000 (points) mark, which stands as the next important support zone. On the upside, immediate resistance is placed at 23000(points), followed by a stronger hurdle near 23450 (points). Any pullback towards these levels is expected to attract fresh selling interest, reinforcing the sell-on-rise strategy in the current market setup," he said. (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: US indices dn for 5th week Fri as West Asia war continues

 

MUMBAI--0747 IST--Pressure mounted on the Wall Street as all the major indices ended sharply lower Friday. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average entered the correction zone as it declined more than 10% from its peak. Meanwhile, the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite had entered the correction zone Thursday and remained so during Friday's session. Shares of all the Magnificent Seven stocks fell Friday with those of Meta and Amazon down over 4?ch.

 

All the three major indices in the US ended lower for the fifth straight week on Friday. Sentiment was weak due to continued hostilities between the US and Iran and high Brent crude oil prices. Crude was hovering around $115 per barrel, up 2.5% from Friday. US futures declined after crude oil futures rose more from last week. At 0742 IST, the E-Mini Dow futures of June was down 0.5%.

 

Yemen's Houthis joined the offensive in West Asia by striking a missile against Israel. The US President Donald Trump said the Pentagon may be planning ground operations in Iran, according to reports. Trump may be considering an operation to extract 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported.

 

Consumer sentiment report by the University of Michigan came in below the Street's expectations. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level since December to 53.3 in March from 56.6 in February. Analysts had pencilled in the March figure to be at 54. Further, expectations for inflation over the next 12 months rose to 3.8% in March from 3.4% in February.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Friday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6368.85	(-)1.67
NASDAQ Composite	20948.357	(-)2.15
Dow Jones Industrial Average	45166.64	(-)1.73

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

End

 

US$1 = INR 93.94

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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