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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Most Asian markets down as oil prices rise amid war concerns 

 

MUMBAI--0835 IST--Major Asian equity indices traded lower in early trade Tuesday as crude oil prices rose after US President Donald Trump ruled out peace talks with Iran following the expiry of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries on Monday. Trump said that informal talks were underway with Iran but later said he would not extend the peace agreement, according to CNBC. 

 

Crude oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday to $90.87 per barrel. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the country would escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and launch an attack on the US if it fails to reach an interim peace deal within weeks. 

 

Japan's Nikkei 225 was the worst performer among its peers, falling around 1.6%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and China's CSI 300 index fell 0.6-0.7%. South Korea's benchmark Kospi was up 0.7?ter being closed on Monday for a holiday. Shares of SK Hynix rose more than 3%, boosting the index. Nikkei 225 heavyweights Advantest Corp. and Tokyo Electron fell more than 4?ch, putting pressure on the index.

 

The following are the levels of key indices in the region at 0815 IST: 

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Nikkei 225 Day	68098.54	(-)1.62
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	4167.64	(-)0.39
S&P/ASX 200 Index	9089.7	0.18
KOSPI Index	7023.92	0.66
Hang Seng Index	25284.04	(-)0.66
CSI 300 Index	4713.04	(-)0.59
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	5700.69	(-)1.17

 

(Vidhi Thacker)

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Equity Alert: Mkt seen range-bound; West Asia war, crude oil prices to weigh

 

MUMBAI--0828 IST--Headline indices are expected to move in a range with uncertainty over peace in West Asia and high crude oil prices being the major factors weighing on the market. The expiry of the 60-day ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran Monday and lack of a new deal between them have pushed crude oil prices to over $91 per barrel. US President Donald Trump said he was not planning to extend the ceasefire pact with Iran.

 

"Technically, Nifty (50) index is hovering around the confluence zone of its 100-days and 200-days exponential moving averages," Vipin Kumar, assistant vice-president of research at Globe Capital Market, said. Kumar said a rise above 24450 spot levels would lead the index towards the 24600-24650 spot zone, and conversely, a fall below 24230 could drag it towards 24130-24050 spot levels. Monday, the Nifty 50 ended at 24287.65, down 78.35 points or 0.3%, and the BSE Sensex ended at 77728.16, down 281.09 points or 0.4%.

 

The June quarter earnings of corporate India were stable with revenue growth of around 19%, excluding those of oil marketing companies, according to Nuvama Institutional Equities. "We still think this is a tall task as tailwinds of the last four quarters all start to fade from H2FY27 (Oct-Mar)," the brokerage said. The tailwinds include depreciation of the rupee, rationalisation of goods and services tax, and metal prices, according to Nuvama.  (Adhithya Aji)

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Equity Alert: US indices fall amid high oil prices, West Asia war concerns

MUMBAI--0730 IST--Major US indices ended lower Monday amid fears that the war in West Asia could escalate. The 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran ended Monday, while truce talks between Washington and Tehran stalled. Crude oil prices rose over 3% and breached the $90-per-barrel mark for the first time this month. All the major indices closed lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 falling more than the Nasdaq Composite. 

 

"The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. In an interview with Fox News, Trump also threatened to attack Oman if it hindered talks with Iran. 

 

All S&P 500 sectoral indices, barring the S&P 500 Energy sector, ended lower. The S&P 500 Communication Services and the S&P 500 Consumer Staples fell 1.5?ch, while the S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary and S&P 500 Financials declined more than 1%. The S&P 500 Energy was the only sector in the green, gaining nearly 1%. Shares of Exxonmobil Holdings and Chevron Corp. rose about 1?ch. 

 

The S&P 500 Software and Services index fell nearly 3%, with chip stocks coming under selling pressure. Microsoft and Meta Platforms declined 3?ch, while Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm fell around 2%. Shares of Micron Technology and Applied Materials rose 4% and more than 5%, respectively. 

 

Investors will be cautious as they wait for the quarterly results of retail companies after July's weak retail sales numbers and jobs data. "Concerns about recent softer data have the market being a bit tepid and waiting for retail earnings for direction," Phil Blancato, chief market strategist at Osaic Wealth, told Reuters. Home Depot, Target, and Walmart will release their earnings this week.  

 

Following are the closing levels of major US indices Monday:

 

Index	Level	Change in %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	53459.78	(-)0.51
NASDAQ Composite	26644.91	(-)0.32
S&P 500	7745.06	(-)0.52

 

(Vidhi Thacker)

 

US$1 = INR 95.60

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

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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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