Business

Two supertankers carrying Iranian crude oil have anchored near Indian ports, signaling a significant potential shift in global energy trade. This arrival marks the first such cargoes to be seen in the country in nearly seven years, coming amidst heightened geopolitical tension. The development challenges previous US sanctions efforts aimed at limiting Tehran's export capacity.Geopolitical Context: Bypassing US Sanctions Regime India has refrained from receiving Iranian oil since 2019, primarily due to international US sanctions. However, a recent US waiver was issued that allowed for purchases of crude oil already loaded onto tankers, attempting to mitigate the impact of global instability.The world's third-largest crude importer...

Sensex Slumps and Rupee Plunges as Crude Oil Jumps Amid West Asia Tensions The Indian currency, the Rupee, saw a notable depreciation in early trading on Monday, while domestic equity markets registered a steep decline. This volatility was primarily fueled by mounting geopolitical tensions in West Asia and a surge in global crude oil prices.The Sensex plummeted 2.06 per cent, and the Nifty also tumbled, reflecting investor caution amid the escalating global economic uncertainty.Rupee Faces Pressure Amid Global Crude Surge The rupee depreciated 49 paise, trading at 93.32 against the US dollar in early deals. This marks a significant move from its previous closing level of 92.83 on Friday.Forex traders noted that renewed tensions in...

Sensex Plunges 2.16% As Geopolitical Tensions Spike and Oil Prices Surge Back Above $105 Domestic equity markets traded sharply lower on Monday, grappling with weak global sentiment. The primary catalyst for the sell-off was the failure of US and Iran peace talks to make progress. This escalating geopolitical risk, coupled with a surge in crude oil prices, drove selling pressure across major benchmarks.Domestic Benchmarks Sink Amid Selling Panic The Sensex plunged significantly, falling as much as 2.16 per cent or 1,675 points to close at 75,874.85. Nifty mirrored the decline, trading at 23,555, down 2.05 per cent, losing approximately 500 points.Selling pressure was widespread, hitting key sectors including banking and financial...

India’s fixed-income market reacted sharply on April 13, seeing the benchmark 10-year government bond yield rise by 6 basis points. The significant movement was primarily triggered by a surge in global crude oil prices, which intensified pre-existing concerns regarding inflation. Tensions heightened dramatically after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, following the collapse of weekend peace talks involving Iran.Government Bond Yields Climb Amid Energy Shock Fears At the opening trade on April 13, the 10-year bond yield was observed at 6.974 percent. This represented a 6 basis point increase from its previous closing level of 6.912 percent. Global markets are currently highly sensitive, reflecting deep...

Rupee Plunges as Trump's Hormuz Threat Fuels Crude Surge, Challenging Recent Stability The Indian Rupee opened 55 paise lower on April 13, primarily fueled by renewed global anxieties surrounding crude oil supply. The sell-off came after reports confirmed that the United States and Iran failed to reach a consensus aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.Adding to the pressure, American President Donald Trump exacerbated tensions by threatening a potential blockade of the critical Strait of Hormuz. These events signaled a quick reversal of positive market sentiment.Market Reaction to Heightened Geopolitical Tensions On the day's opening, the rupee registered a significant decline, opening at 93.28 against the dollar. This represents a...

The precious metal markets saw a significant downturn on Monday, April 13, 2026. Gold prices declined sharply on the MCX following adverse developments in international geopolitics. The yellow metal's drop was directly linked to the failure of US-Iran ceasefire talks and renewed concerns regarding the Strait of Hormuz.MCX Metals Drop Amid Escalating Geopolitical Jitters The decline in both gold and silver futures was pronounced early on Monday morning. At 9:02 am IST, the market registered a notable retreat. This movement signaled that profit-taking, combined with uncertainty, was heavily weighing on investor sentiment.Gold, a traditionally safe-haven asset, experienced a substantial pull-back. Simultaneously, silver futures...

Indian equity markets saw a significant downturn on Monday, with both the Sensex and Nifty tracking weaker Asian peers. The primary catalyst fueling the sell-off was the sharp surge in global crude oil prices, which surpassed the crucial $100 per barrel mark.The steep decline was fueled by escalating geopolitical tensions following the failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran. Investors reacted strongly to the escalating crude prices, putting immense pressure on the domestic benchmarks.Key Market Performance Metrics The market opened lower, reflecting widespread caution among investors. At 9:15 am, the Sensex had declined by 1,388.61 points, marking a 1.79 percent drop to 76,161.64.The Nifty 50 index followed...

Korean Central Bank Demands 'Circuit Breakers' After Trillion-Won Crypto Blunder The Bank of Korea (BOK) has called for the immediate introduction of robust safety mechanisms for cryptocurrency exchanges. These proposed safeguards, modeled after the circuit breakers used by major bourses, aim to prevent catastrophic operational failures in the volatile crypto asset market.The push for regulation follows a massive erroneous payment incident that recently highlighted significant deficiencies in industry oversight. The BOK cited the absence of formal circuit breaker systems as a primary catalyst for the damage.The Bithumb Exchange Incident Details The catalyst for the heightened regulatory scrutiny occurred in February at Bithumb, a...

KOSPI Drops Amid Middle East Tensions; Fears of Strait of Hormuz Blockade Haunt Seoul Markets South Korean stocks retreated on Monday as mounting geopolitical uncertainty overshadowed market activity. Investor concerns escalated following the failure of progress in U.S.-Iran peace talks, compounded by President Donald Trump's threats regarding a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.The market bellwether, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), fell significantly, closing at 5,790.72. This represented a drop of 68.15 points, or 1.16 percent, as of 11:20 am local time.Geopolitical Fears Trigger Stock Sell-Off The primary catalyst for the downturn was the deepening uncertainty surrounding global supply chains. President...

Gold and silver markets witnessed pronounced volatility on Monday, fueled by the sudden collapse of US-Iran negotiations. This geopolitical instability has kept sentiment fragile among market participants, directing attention toward major bullion price fluctuations. Experts noted that investors will now closely monitor expected negotiations between Israel and Lebanon next week in Washington for crucial directional cues.Globally, the trend mirrored this anxiety. Spot gold fell 0.6% to $4,723.55 an ounce in Singapore. Similarly, silver slid 2% to $74.36 an ounce, reflecting global pressure points on commodity pricing.Navigating Domestic Price Variations Across Indian Cities The local bullion market exhibits significant regional...

NSE, BSE Shut Tomorrow: Decoding the Full 2026 Market Holiday Calendar Ahead of Ambedkar Jayanti Indian stock markets are bracing for a holiday-shortened trading week, with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) set to remain closed tomorrow, April 14. The closure is observed on account of Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti.Investors will note that trading has already seen suspensions in the previous week due to Good Friday and Mahavir Jayanti. The market's holiday schedule for 2026 requires careful attention.Upcoming Market Closures for 2026 Market participants can plan for the remaining festive closures throughout the year. A total of 16 market holidays are scheduled for 2026, and six have already been observed...

The fresh geopolitical tensions emerging from the Middle East are significantly impacting the Indian consumer durable sector. White goods manufacturers are facing mounting cost pressures, forcing them to implement substantial price hikes across multiple product categories.Major players like Blue Star, Voltas, LG Electronics, Hitachi, and Whirlpool are navigating these volatile markets. The escalating situation in the region has kept market volatility high, directly affecting the cost of essential raw materials for these giants.Commodity Inflation Fuels Cost Crisis for White Goods The ongoing tensions related to the conflict have caused a pronounced spike in global metal and crude oil prices. Following the latest escalation and...

Fertilizer Sector Faces Double Whammy: China Ban and Iran Conflict Stoke Cost Inflation Fears Fertilizer stocks, including major players like Coromandel International, Paradeep Phosphates, Chambal Fertilisers, GSFC, RCF, and FACT, are under intense scrutiny. The sector is navigating a significant supply shock driven by simultaneous global disruptions. These concerns center on China curbing sulphuric acid exports and geopolitical tensions compounding the raw material crunch.The double blow threatens to drastically inflate input costs for Indian manufacturers. The industry faces a confluence of factors, including escalating global commodity prices and constrained supply chains.Sulphuric Acid and Sulphur Supply Shock Threatens...

Goldman Sachs Bets on 67% Blinkit Growth, Lowers Target for Eternal Despite Swiggy Competition Multinational brokerage Goldman Sachs has recently revised its 12-month share price target for Zomato’s parent, Eternal Ltd. The firm maintained a positive 'buy' rating on the stock, suggesting confidence despite reducing the target price from Rs 380 to Rs 350. This revised target still implies a significant upside potential of 45% over the previous closing price on the NSE.Analysts highlighted that concerns regarding Blinkit’s total addressable market (TAM) may be overstated from a valuation standpoint. While the food delivery market shows high penetration—remaining above 50% in India's multi-touchpoint unit (MTU)—the underlying TAM for...

Dividend Surge Alert: HDFC Bank and ICICI Lead Blue-Chip Payouts This Week Dividend payouts are driving significant interest across Indian markets this week. Several major companies are scheduled to report their quarterly earnings, with dividend announcements triggering focused trading activity. Investors are closely tracking record and ex-dividend dates to assess potential income opportunities and shareholder returns.Major Banks and Blue Chips Expected to Announce Payouts Banking and financial services remain a core focus for dividend hunters. HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are key names among the blue-chip stocks expected to announce payouts during the week. These announcements follow the release of the March quarter results.The list of...

Gold, Silver Prices Plunge as Ceasefire Uncertainty Shadows Global Markets Gold and Silver Drop Amid Tensions Following US-Iran Truce Precious metals continued their downward trend on early trading Thursday, driven by lingering geopolitical uncertainty. Gold saw the international spot price decline 0.95 percent, settling at $4,741.80 per ounce. Similarly, silver edges lower, falling 2.75 percent to $74.37 per ounce during early Comex trading.The shift comes as investors digest the complexity surrounding the two-week US-Iran ceasefire, which entered its fifth day. While the truce provides some immediate relief, concerns remain about its long-term durability.Indian Bullion Markets See Mixed Signals Domestically, the physical bullion...

PL Capital expects the capital goods coverage universe to report a mixed performance in Q4 FY26. This forecast is influenced by a blend of domestic strengths and mounting international headwinds. The sector faces headwinds stemming from geopolitical tensions and lingering supply chain disruptions.These macro pressures are resulting in execution slippage and delays in order finalisations, particularly impacting the export business of numerous firms in the coverage universe. Despite the mixed outlook, healthy momentum in T&D-led products and domestic execution remains a key positive driver.Mixed Outlook Looms for Capital Goods Sector in Q4 FY26 Overall, the brokerage anticipates a challenging period for the sector. The Middle East...

Today marks the final bidding day for the Om Power Transmission IPO. The issue, which opened on April 9, saw significant momentum build across its two days of bidding. The final subscription level indicated sustained investor interest, with the overall IPO being subscribed 71 percent by the second day.The strong uptake was visible across investor segments. Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) remained highly active, subscribing the portion 1.18 times. Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs) and Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) also showed marked improvement in traction, booking 0.38 times and 0.58 times, respectively.The IPO allocation structure is designed to cater to a diverse investor base, earmarking up to 50 percent for QIBs, at...

Chinese assets are experiencing a rare and significant synchronization, with stocks and bonds moving in lockstep. This alignment reflects the increased appeal of Chinese markets acting as a relative safe haven amid global geopolitical uncertainty, specifically the ongoing tensions involving the US and Iran.The financial data confirms a major shift. According to Bloomberg-compiled metrics, the 90-day correlation between the equities benchmark CSI 300 Index and the Bloomberg China Treasury Total Return Index turned positive starting March 18.Drivers Behind the Positive Market Correlation The convergence of Chinese stocks and bonds is fueled by several structural factors. Beijing’s proactive measures to shield its economy from...

Power and Core Industrials Sector Gains Momentum Brokers have issued fresh calls on key power players, signaling a strong rebound in India's electricity demand. Jefferies noted that while March 2026 power demand rose 2% year-over-year (YoY), the growth is expected to be muted at 1% YoY in FY26 due to strong monsoon conditions. However, demand is anticipated to rebound to approximately 6% YoY in FY27E.Top picks highlighted for the sector include JSW Energy and NTPC. The demand growth trajectory is further supported by a 60% probability of an El-Nino event, which could drive additional upside. Peak demand, in particular, is expected to rise 10% YoY, reaching 270 GW in FY27E.Strong Tailwinds for Banking and Financial Services (BFSI)...