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Informist, Thursday, Jun. 18, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Indices may open flat as investors assess US-Iran interim deal

 

MUMBAI--0833 IST--The benchmark equity indices may open flat as investors assess progress towards ending the nearly four-month-long war in West Asia after the ‌US and Iran signed an interim peace deal Wednesday, though uncertainties still hovered. Crude oil prices edged lower after the signing, raising the hope that energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz would gradually return to normal and alleviate global supply disruptions. At 0816 IST, the August futures contract of Brent Crude on the Intercontinental Exchange was 1.4% lower at $78.47 per barrel. 

 

Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the memorandum of understanding electronically, according to a post on social media platform X by mediator Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The memorandum "shall enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the US will lift the naval blockade", Sharif said. Meanwhile, Trump threatened to resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if they failed to honour their commitments, Reuters reported. 

 

Major Asia-Pacific stock indices were mixed in early trade, with South Korea's KOSPI and Japan's Nikkei 225 and TOPIX FIRST SECTION jumping to fresh record highs while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 INDEX were down. US stock futures, on the other hand, inched up Thursday. 

 

Late Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve, led by newly appointed Chair Kevin Warsh, kept the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50-3.75%. Policymakers' "dot plot" revealed, however, that several Fed officials now expect an interest rates hike in 2026. The median estimate for the year-end interest rate now stands at 3.8%, up from 3.4% in prior projections from March, suggesting that at least one rate hike could happen in 2026, reports said.

 

The GIFT Nifty indicates a largely flat opening for the domestic market. At 0821 IST, the June futures contract of GIFT Nifty was at 24095 points, 10 points above the Nifty 50's previous close. "We see a flat open for the Nifty (50), towards the end we may witness some buying," Anshul Jain, head of research at Lakshmishree Investments, said. He expects the index to find support at 24000-23800 points. On the upside, the index is seen hitting resistance at 24090 points, a breach of which could take the index towards 24100–24200 points, Jain said.

 

Information technology stocks will be in focus Thursday as investors await the announcement of quarterly earnings and management commentary by Irish technology consulting company, Accenture Plc., later in the day. The software giant's financial performance is closely watched by the Street for cues about the demand environment in the sector.  (Arya S. Biju)

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Equity Alert: Most Asian markets up on lower crude prices; Nikkei hits new high

 

MUMBAI--0825 IST--Most stock indices in Asia were up in early trade as oil prices continued to fall on expectations of the US-Iran peace deal. Both parties have already signed an interim deal. However, uncertainties persist with US President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks if Iran failed to comply with the terms. At 0821 IST, Brent Crude August futures were down 1.3% at $78.55 per barrel.

 

"Major geopolitical risk persists and will also remain a major driver of market action," Kyle Rodda, a senior financial market analyst at Capital.com, told Reuters. Most indices in the region were up even as their US counterparts closed lower on Wednesday following the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting. While the central bank held rates steady at the 3.5-3.75% target range, commentary by officials hinted at the possibility of a rate hike this year.

 

Japan's Nikkei 225 was the highest gainer in the region and hit another record intraday high for the second session in a row. The gains were driven by semiconductor and artificial intelligence-centric shares, according to a Reuters report. Among other gainers, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.7%. Index heavyweight SK Hynix advanced 4% to touch a fresh high, according to a CNBC report. Its peer Samsung Electronics rose 1%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng, down 2%, was the worst performer among regional peers. The index was down for the third straight session, during which it shed around 4%.

 

Following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0825 IST:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
CSI 300 Index	4948.63	0.35
Hang Seng Index	23895.07	(-)1.72
Nikkei 225 Day	71052.3	1.65
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	4069.56	1.4
KOSPI	8926.38	0.7
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5186.48	0.19
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8925	(-)0.46

 

(Shruti Nair)

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Equity Alert: US market ends down after Fed hints at possible rate hike this year

 

MUMBAI--0745 IST--US stock indices ended lower on Wednesday and bond yields surged after the US Federal Reserve kept the policy interest rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75%. While the decision was in line with the consensus expectation, commentary by officials hinted at a rate hike this year. All three major US indices ended in the red, down around 1?ch.

 

In his first policy meeting, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh underscored the need to subdue inflation and said that the central bank would deliver price stability. Notably, Warsh himself refrained from providing a projection, deviating from common practice. Following the policy meeting, expectations that the Fed would hold rates steady were at 13% compared to 40?rlier, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool, Reuters reported. Treasury yields rose following the decision, with the 2-year yield rising more than 16 basis points to 4.216%, according to a CNBC report. 

 

"He is absolutely telling you that he plans on delivering on price stability. So that means ... we're not going to have such easy money policy as everybody thought maybe Chairman Warsh would do back in the first quarter of this year, when everyone was counting on rate cuts," DoubleLine Capital Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Gundlach said on CNBC's 'Closing Bell'. "He doesn't sound like that today at all."

 

On Wednesday, all of the S&P 500's 11 major industry indices closed lower after the Fed meeting. Communications services was the worst hit sector, down 3%, while industrials fared better than its peers, closing marginally lower, Reuters reported.

 

Major technology stocks were a drag in Wednesday's session, with 'Magnificent 7' stocks Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon, all ending 2-5% lower. Elon Musk's SpaceX also ended in negative territory for the first time since going public last week. The stock closed 5% lower. However, gains in some chip stocks like Micron Technology and Intel helped limit the losses. 

 

The following were the closing levels of major US indices on Wednesday:

 

US Indices	Levels	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	51492.55	(-)0.98
NASDAQ Composite	26021.66	(-)1.34
S&P 500	7420.1	(-)1.21

 

(Shruti Nair)

 

US$1 = INR 94.52

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

 

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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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