The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open lower on Thursday, following mixed cues from global markets, amid escalating conflict between the US and Iran in the Middle East.
Asian markets traded higher, while the US stock market ended lower overnight, with Nasdaq falling the most weighed down by technology stocks.
On Wednesday, the Indian stock market ended sharply lower, with both the benchmark indices falling nearly a percent each, amid broad-based selloff.
The Sensex crashed 715.06 points, or 0.92%, to close at 76,755.05, while the Nifty 50 settled 191.45 points, or 0.79%, lower at 23,996.25.
“Despite the weakness in the benchmark index, rotational buying across sectors continues to offer ample stock-specific trading opportunities. We therefore recommend maintaining a cautious stance, focusing on relatively stronger stocks while adhering to disciplined risk and position management,” said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.
Here are key global market cues for Sensex today:
Asian Markets
Asian markets traded higher on Thursday, led by regional chip stocks. MSCI’s Asia Pacific equities gauge climbed 0.8%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.18% while the Topix rose 0.78%. South Korea’s Kospi rallied 3.61%, while the Kosdaq surged 2.86%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a higher opening.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 23,887 level, a discount of nearly 101 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market ended lower on Wednesday, as investors waited for key earnings reports, while the latest Middle East hostilities raised inflation worries.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 6.06 points, or 0.01%, to 52,218.58, while the S&P 500 declined 10.24 points, or 0.14%, to 7,498.96. The Nasdaq Composite closed 146.30 points, or 0.57%, lower at 25,690.90.
Nvidia stock price gained 2.30%, Microsoft shares fell 1.86%, Alphabet shares declined 1.24%, Meta Platforms slid 2.58%, Apple stock price eased 0.56%, Super Micro Computer stock price jumped 19.84%, Dell Technologies share price rallied 9.3%, Tesla stock price dropped 1.30% and SpaceX share price slipped 6.70%.
US-Iran War
The US military unleashed another night of strikes targeting Iran’s military government and infrastructure sites, while President Donald Trump said that Tehran wants to make a deal to end the war, but he feels that the Islamic Republic is not ‘ready’ for it yet. Meanwhile, Iran continues to blockade and target ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tesla Q1 Earnings
Tesla Inc. missed Wall Street’s profit estimates despite a strong quarter of auto sales. The Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker reported second-quarter profits of $1.1 billion, down about 5% from the year-ago level. That translated into 33 cents per share compared with analyst estimates of 53 cents per share. The company’s revenue rose 26% YoY to $28.2 billion.
Tesla also reported its first quarter of negative free cash flow in more than two years, burning through $1.09 billion.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices rose to their highest in more than six weeks. Brent crude futures rose 1.58% to $95.56 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 1.30% to $87.96 per barrel after rising nearly 3% on Wednesday.
Gold Rate Today
Gold prices held gains on dip-buying. Spot gold price rose 0.1% to $4,133.82 an ounce, while silver prices were stable at $59.75 an ounce.
Dollar
The dollar largely stabilised on safe-haven demand, while the yen languished near a 40-year low. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was flat at 101.11. The euro was up 0.02% at $1.1412. British sterling last traded at $1.3373.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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