Global markets today: The Indian stock market is likely to open higher, with GIFT Nifty futures trading near 24,200 in early trade, suggesting a gap-up relative to the Nifty’s previous close of 23,985. Despite the positive opening cues, the underlying sentiment is expected to remain cautious as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to dominate investor focus.
US-Iran news in focus
Advising investors to remain vigilant about the fresh developments in the US-Iran war, Ponmudi R, CEO at Enrich Money, said, “Fresh strikes by US and Saudi forces on Iran-linked militant sites in Iraq, alongside reports of Iranian missile strikes on US military bases, have intensified geopolitical tensions and revived concerns over energy supply disruptions.”
Following the escalation in Middle East tensions, WTI crude oil has surged back to around $82 per barrel after briefly falling to near $78, reflecting a renewed geopolitical risk premium amid close market tracking of developments in the Region.
Global markets’ equity heatmap
Here we list out the equity heatmap of the global markets today:
US equities: Apple hits $5 trillion market valuation
US equities ended mixed on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.03% to record its third consecutive session of gains, supported by strong corporate earnings, even as a historic overnight sell-off in South Korea’s Kospi continued to weigh on global semiconductor stocks. The S&P 500 advanced 0.21%, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.22% as weakness in chipmakers offset broader market gains.
Sherwin-Williams surged 8% and Coca-Cola gained 5% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings, while the VanEck Semiconductor ETF fell more than 3% for a fourth consecutive session as Micron and AMD each declined over 8%.
Meanwhile, Apple briefly crossed the $5 trillion market capitalisation mark after overtaking Nvidia as the world’s most valuable company, with investor attention now shifting to earnings from Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Apple later this week.
Asian markets today: Nikkei, Kospi rebound
Asian markets traded cautiously higher in early trade, with Japan’s Nikkei rising 0.22% and South Korea’s Kospi gaining 1.46% after Tuesday’s steep sell-off. The recovery follows one of the region’s sharpest declines in recent months, when the Nikkei tumbled 3.95%, and the Kospi plunged 10.84%, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker as Samsung Electronics fell 13.39% and SK Hynix dropped nearly 14.65%.
The sell-off was driven by mounting concerns over intensifying Chinese competition in memory chips following CXMT’s Shanghai listing, alongside growing investor caution over AI-related capital spending. Markets are now closely watching SK Hynix’s earnings and management commentary for further direction on the semiconductor sector.
European markets
European equities closed modestly higher, with the STOXX Europe 600 rising 0.35% as strong corporate earnings offset continued weakness in technology stocks. The technology sector fell 0.8%, extending losses after Monday’s sharp decline, amid reports that China had begun manufacturing its own deep-ultraviolet lithography machines, a technology historically dominated by ASML.
Among the major benchmarks, London’s FTSE 100 gained 0.83%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.63%, and Germany’s DAX advanced 0.41%, while luxury stocks including Hermès and Kering outperformed ahead of their earnings announcements later this week.
Indian stock market: Nifty 50 to Sensex today
Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 / Sensex today, Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, said, “On the higher side, if the market succeeds in trading above 24,050/77000, it could then move up to 24,150–24,200/77300-77500. On the flip side, a breach of 23,900/76500 could accelerate selling pressure. Below this level, the market could retest the levels of 23,800–23,750/76200-76000.”
On the outlook of the Bank Nifty today, Vatsal Bhuva, Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said, “The Bank Nifty ended the session with a bearish candlestick on the daily chart, indicating a mildly negative technical setup. On the hourly chart, the RSI has entered a bearish crossover and is trading below the 50 mark, while the index remains below its 20-period SMA, reflecting weak short-term momentum. Immediate support is placed at 56,200, whereas the 57,300–57,500 zone is likely to act as a strong resistance. Until the index breaks out of this range, traders are advised to adopt a level-based trading approach and avoid aggressive directional positions.”
Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
About The Author
