Indian Markets Decline Amid Heightened Geopolitical Concerns
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Mumbai, April 9 (NationPress) The Indian stock markets commenced with caution on Thursday following a significant increase in the previous session. Key indices dropped amid investor anxiety over rising geopolitical tensions, triggered by reports of Israel's strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has sparked concerns about potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Sensex fell by 560 points or 0.72 percent to reach 77,003, marking an intra-day low early in the trading session. Similarly, the Nifty index saw a decline of 182 points or 0.75 percent, settling at 23,815, also recording an intra-day low. Sectors such as IT, real estate, banking, and automotive stocks were the most affected, declining by up to 1 percent.
Within the Nifty index, notable losers included Infosys, Shriram Finance, HCL Tech, Bajaj Finance, IndiGo, Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank, and M&M.
Experts suggest that traders should maintain a cautious stance, favoring a ‘buy on dips’ strategy near support levels while steering clear of aggressive long positions at elevated levels.
“The ongoing disparity between foreign and domestic investments continues to significantly influence market stability,” they remarked.
Furthermore, analysts observed that the India VIX saw a substantial decrease to approximately 19.69, indicating reduced volatility, although markets might still experience intraday fluctuations.
Institutional investment trends reveal a continued divergence. On Wednesday, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers, offloading around Rs 2,812 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) sustained their strong purchasing activity, with inflows near Rs 4,168 crore.
In related news, Brent crude futures surged by up to 3.31 percent, reaching $97.89 per barrel by 9:06 a.m., while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude increased by 4.2 percent to $98.38 from the previous close.
Asian markets also trended downward, with the Nikkei, Hang Seng, and KOSPI experiencing declines of 0.77 percent, 0.17 percent, and over 1 percent, respectively.
In the United States, Wall Street concluded on a positive note, with major indices rising by more than 2 percent.