Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened lower on Monday as renewed US-Iran military escalation revives concerns over global energy supplies, triggering a rebound in crude oil prices and prompting a broader risk-off tone across Asian markets.
While the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 133.78 points or 0.17 per cent to start the session at 77,130.73, the Nifty opened with a drop of 58.10 at 24,117.55. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 77,264.51 and the Nifty 50 at 24,175.65. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the early trading session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index was down by 40.05 points, the BSE Smallcap Select Index dropped 11.63 points or 0.13 per cent, to trade in the red at 9,275.37.
In early trade, market breadth was positive, with 1,535 stocks advancing against 1,104 stocks declining on the NSE. 959 stocks remained unchanged.
From the Sensex pack, Eternal, Tech Mahindra, BEL, Adani Ports and HDFC Bank were the gainers, with Eternal leading the pack by gaining 0.49 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Indigo, Kotak Bank, NTPC and UltraTech Cement were among the losers, with Sun Pharma falling 0.99 per cent.
“This week’s trading begins with the market facing a few headwinds. From the global equity market perspective, sentiment has turned slightly negative following Fed chief Kevin Warsh’s statement that if inflation persists at rates higher than the Fed’s long-term target, “we have work to do”. The market has taken this as an indication of a rate hike in the FOMC meeting scheduled for September 15-16. The consequent rise in bond yields is negative for equity markets. Another headwind is the renewed escalation of tensions between the US and Iran, pushing Brent crude above $90,” said Dr V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative start today as it opened with a drop of 47.5 points at 24,264.50, compared to the previous close of 24,396. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) turned sellers on Friday and offloaded equities worth Rs 5,039.80 crore on August 28, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) remained buyers, buying equities worth Rs 5,183.93 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks skid amid renewed geopolitical tensions. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 735.56 points or 1.11 per cent to 65,670 at the time of writing the report. Similarly, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 173.79 points or 0.66 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi shed 97.18 points, or 1.45 per cent, and Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down by 7.72 points, or 0.20 per cent.