Opening Bell : Markets likely to make gap-up start amid ease in geopolitical tensions
Indian equity markets are likely to make gap-up start on Tuesday following positive cues from global markets amid signs of de-escalation in the U.S.-Iran war. Investors will be eyeing the HSBC Flash PMI data for the manufacturing, services, and composite sectors, for more directional cues.
Some of the key factors to be watched:
India-Russia committed to increase trade to $100 billion: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India and Russia need to address issues such as non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments to increase the two-way annual trade to $100 billion by 2030, while reaffirming New Delhi's steadfast commitment to strengthening the long-standing partnership with Moscow.
India needs to take proactive steps limit impact of West Asia crisis: The Reserve Bank's bulletin said India needs to closely monitor the evolving situation in West Asia and take proactive measures to limit the impact of spillovers, as the country is dependent on crude oil imports.
China to recoup 2% share in Indian FDI after Press Note 3 changes: The report by Crisil Intelligence said the amendments to the 'Press Note 3' by the government will help China increase its share in the overall foreign direct investments attracted by India to 2 per cent levels.
Govt restores full RoDTEP benefits for exporters amid West Asia trade disruptions: The government has restored full benefits under the RoDTEP scheme to exporters amidst the ongoing West Asia crisis disrupting global trade.
RBI buys $2.526 billion of forex in January: According to the central bank's monthly bulletin, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) purchased net $2.526 billion of forex from the spot currency market in January. The purchase of US dollars by the central bank came in January after seven straight months of net dollar sales.
On the global front: The US markets ended in green on Monday amid ease in geopolitical tensions. Asian markets are trading mostly in green on Tuesday following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight.
Back home, Indian equity markets ended sharply lower on Monday, with both Sensex and Nifty down around 2.5%. The indices made gap-down start and remained under pressure due to global weakness and rising crude oil prices, amid escalating geopolitical tensions fuelling worries over energy supply. Markets attempted a brief recovery in the late afternoon on bargain hunting after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said efforts are being made to ensure energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the rebound was short-lived, and losses deepened in the final hours of trade. Finally, the BSE Sensex slipped 1836.57 points or 2.46% to 72,696.39 and the CNX Nifty was down by 601.85 points or 2.60% to 22,512.65.
Some of the important factors in trade:
India's core sector growth slows down to 2.3% in February 2026: Some pessimism came as the government data showed that India’s production growth in eight core infrastructure sectors slowed down to 2.3% in February 2026 from 3.4% in the same month last year due to fall in production of crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products.
Indian firms facing shipment delays, input shortages amid Iran war: Traders were concerned as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said Indian companies are facing disruptions ranging from shipment delays to shortages of key raw materials due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, and highlighted growing stress across sectors dependent on global trade flows.
India's forex reserves drop $7 billion to $709.76 billion: Some cautiousness came as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that India's forex reserves dropped $7.052 billion to $709.76 billion during the week ended March 13. In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had dropped $11.68 billion to $716.81 billion.
Above views are of the author and not of the website kindly read disclaimer
