Sensex, Nifty 50 | Stock Market Crash Highlights: The benchmark Indian equity indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, were off day’s low but still down around 1% on Monday, tracking subdued global cues after U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations broke down and crude oil prices surged, heightening concerns that the Middle East conflict could drag on longer than anticipated.
U.S.-Iran talks held over the weekend in Islamabad failed to produce a breakthrough, casting doubt on the fragile two-week ceasefire. The U.S. Central Command said American forces would begin enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Monday.
Sensex ended 703 points or 0.91% lower at 76,847.57 while Nifty 50 settled 208 points or 0.86% lower at 23,842.65.
Meanwhile, in intra-day deals, Sensex dropped 1,682 points or 2.1% to day’s low of 75,868.32, while Nifty declined 495 points or 2% to its intra-day low of 23,555.60. Among broader markets, Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 were down around 0.5% each.
Among sectors, Nifty Auto, Nifty FMCG and Nifty IT fell between 1-2% each, while Nifty Bank and Nifty Financial Services shed around 0.5% each.
Oil and dollar gains while global markets crack
Oil prices surged past $100 per barrel while global equities and bonds declined after Donald Trump ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following a deadlock in U.S.-Iran peace talks over the weekend.
Brent crude jumped 7.5% to trade above $102 per barrel. Meanwhile, futures tracking the S&P 500 indicated a 0.6% lower opening. The yield on two-year U.S. Treasuries rose by two basis points to 3.82% as traders scaled back expectations of a U.S. interest-rate cut in 2026. The dollar gained 0.2%, marking its strongest rise in over a week, while gold prices eased to around $4,730 per ounce.
The U.S. military was reportedly hours away from initiating a blockade of all maritime traffic entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, in a move aimed at intensifying pressure on Tehran.
Across global markets, sentiment remained weak. The Stoxx Europe 600 dropped 0.7% as of 9:30 a.m. London time. S&P 500 futures declined 0.6%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.7%. Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%.
In Asia, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.8%, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index declined 0.7%, reflecting broad-based risk aversion across markets.
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