Stock markets tumble nearly 1 per cent on rising geopolitical tensions, boiling crude oil prices

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled nearly 1 per cent on Friday as weak global markets and a spike in Brent crude oil prices after Israel attacked Iran’s capital weighed on investor sentiment.

Falling for the second day in a row, the 30-share BSE Sensex dived 573.38 points or 0.70 per cent to settle at 81,118.60. During the morning trade, it tanked 1,337.39 points or 1.63 per cent to 80,354.59.

The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 169.60 points or 0.68 per cent to 24,718.60.

Investors stayed away from riskier assets amid fears of a full-blown war between Israel and Iran and foreign fund outflows.

Among the Sensex firms, Adani Ports, ITC, State Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank and UltraTech Cement were the major laggards.

On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, Sun Pharma and Maruti were the gainers.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude jumped 7.44 per cent to USD 74.52 a barrel.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng settled lower.

European markets were quoting lower.

US markets ended in positive territory on Thursday.

“Indian equity benchmarks experienced downward pressure, driven by weak global cues and foreign institutional outflows. Market sentiment was notably impacted by heightened geopolitical tensions following Israel’s military strike on Iran, which significantly increased risk aversion among investors. Although India’s CPI for May eased below the RBI’s comfort threshold, offering a positive macro signal, this was largely overshadowed by external headwinds.

“Brent crude prices climbed to near USD 76/barrel, their highest this year, raising fears of inflation if tensions persist,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,831.42 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.

Meanwhile, a London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in Ahmedabad minutes after taking off from the airport on Thursday afternoon.

Air India has confirmed the death of 241 people in the plane crash. One passenger miraculously escaped.

On Thursday, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 823.16 points or 1 per cent to settle at 81,691.98. The Nifty tumbled 253.20 points or 1.01 per cent to 24,888.20.