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Informist, Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices may open higher on hopes of de-escalation in Iran war

 

MUMBAI--0817 IST--Benchmark indices are expected to open higher on Wednesday, setting a positive start for the financial year 2026-27 (Apr-Mar) amid hopes of de-escalation in the US-Iran war. Late Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he expects the US military forces will leave Iran in "two or three weeks." Major equity indices across Asia were higher in early trade Wednesday on renewed hopes of a de-escalation in the war. 

  

The US has achieved the goals set before airstrikes against Iran began late last month in conjunction with Israel, Trump said. The primary goal of curtailing Iran's ability to obtain a nuclear weapon has been reached and the US is now "finishing the job." Additionally, Trump has told aides he's willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, The Wall Street Journal reported citing administration officials. The move came after reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was open to ending the war with the US and Israel as long as certain conditions are met.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that messages had been exchanged with the US, either directly or through countries in the region, Al Jazeera reported. However, Araghchi said the contact with the US did not mean that Tehran was in negotiations with Washington, the report said. Further, Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday threatened to attack American companies in the Gulf region, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing, from Apr. 1, reports said. 

Gift Nifty indicates a positive start for the domestic market. At 0807 IST, the April futures contract of Gift Nifty traded at 22770.50 points, over 400 points higher than the Nifty 50's close Monday. Domestic equity markets were shut Tuesday for Mahavir Jayanti. 

 

The Nifty 50 index has strong support placed at 22500 points, which also acts as a key psychological level, Sundar Kewat, technical and derivative analyst at Ashika Institutional Equities, said. On the upside, 23000-point level stands as an immediate resistance and the 50-stock index is likely to face selling pressure around this zone. Any rise towards 23000 points can be considered a selling opportunity, with a possible downside move back towards the 22500 level, he added. 

 

As announced in the Union Budget for FY27 on Feb. 1, the increase in securities transaction tax on futures trades to 0.05% from 0.02% will come into effect from Wednesday. Automobile stocks will be in focus with major domestic companies announcing their monthly sales data. March automobile despatches are expected to have grown in double digits on year across segments, amid higher demand aided by festival tailwinds, year-end buying, strong rural cash flows, and better availability of financing, analysts said.  (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: US indices see best day since May on hope of end to W Asia war

 

MUMBAI--0746 IST--All major indices on Wall Street closed with stellar gains Tuesday, with the technology-heavy Nasdaq outperforming its peers after US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran might end soon. Trump said the US would Iran leave in two-three weeks. "We leave because there's no reason for us to do this," Trump told reporters at the White House.

 

The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite recorded their highest one-day gains since May 2025. The Nasdaq Composite closed 3.9% higher Tuesday. All the 'magnificent seven' stocks closed 3-7% higher. All major chip stocks also ended with 3-8% gains.

 

Trump's comments come even as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. While global crude oil prices fell significantly, May futures of Brent crude oil continue to hover around $105 per barrel on Wednesday.

 

Job openings in the US declined by 358,000 to 6.88 million in February, according to the US Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. This is lower than Reuters' poll estimate of 6.91 million. The hiring rate fell to 3.1% in February from 3.4% in January. The survey said that only 4.8 million workers were hired in February, the lowest since March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Tuesday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	46341.5	2.91
NASDAQ Composite	21590.629	3.83
Dow Jones Industrial Average	6258.52	2.49

 

(Ruchira Kagita)

 

End

 

US$1 = INR 94.83

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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