The key equity benchmarks traded with minor gains in early trade, even as investor sentiment remained cautious amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran and rising global crude oil prices. The Nifty traded above the 23,150 mark. Metal, FMCG and PSU bank shares advanced, while realty, oil & gas and IT stocks advanced.
At 09:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 7.20 points or 0.01% to 74,571.12. The Nifty 50 index added 5.30 points or 0.02% to 23,158.30.
The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index slipped 0.55% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index fell 0.87%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1,118 shares rose and 2,153 shares fell. A total of 187 shares were unchanged.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 10,716.64 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 9,977.42 crore in the Indian equity market on 13 March 2026, provisional data showed.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Bajel Projects surged 9.54% to Rs 153.30 after the company said it has secured an order worth over Rs 700 crore from Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company (MSETCL) for setting up a 400/220 kV AIS substation at Saswad in Pune district along with associated transmission lines.
Omnitech Engineering rose 1.58% to Rs 222.15 after the company reported a 170.73% surge in consolidated net profit to Rs 22.2 crore in Q3 FY26 compared to Rs 8.2 crore posted in the same quarter last year. Revenue jumped by 81.08% YoY to Rs 134 crore in Q3 FY25.
VA Tech Wabag added 1.40% to Rs 1,244.70 after the company announced that its joint venture has secured an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded 'mega' order from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The company classifies a 'mega' order as a contract with a value exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.
Numbers to Track:
The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper rose 0.39% to 6.705 compared with the previous session close of 6.679.
In the foreign exchange market, the rupee edged lower against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 92.4450 compared with its close of 92.3000 during the previous trading session.
MCX Gold futures for the 2 April 2026 settlement shed 0.83% to Rs 157,150.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, was down 0.14% to 100.22.
The United States 10-year bond yield fell 0.58% to 4.260.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement rose $1.24 or 1.20% to $104.38 a barrel.
Global Markets:
Asian markets fell on Monday as investors assessed elevated oil prices and the latest developments in the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict.
U.S. crude prices topped $100 per barrel as the Trump administration weighed military strikes on Tehran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital hub often referred to as Iran’s “oil lifeline.”
President Donald Trump on Friday reportedly ordered strikes against Iranian military assets on Kharg Island and warned of further attacks on crude facilities located there. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, repeated the warning Sunday, as per media reports.
According to a global research house, a surge in energy prices stemming from the war in Iran could shave about 0.3% off global GDP over the next year, while pushing headline inflation higher by roughly 0.5% to 0.6%.
Higher natural gas prices are expected to add further inflationary pressure and growth headwinds, particularly in Europe and Asia, with risks skewed toward larger impacts if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the research firm has reportedly said.
On the data front, retail sales in China for the first two months of the year rose 2.8% from a year earlier, beating the widely reported forecast for 2.5% growth, but a notable slowdown from the 4% growth in the January-February period in 2025.
Industrial output climbed 6.3%, also exceeding widely reported expectations for a 5% jump. Industrial production has been a relative bright spot in the world’s second-largest economy, thanks to resilient external demand, particularly from European and Southeast Asian nations.
On Wall Street, US stocks closed red on Friday, despite showing some recovery and optimism after the opening bell.
The S&P 500 shed 0.61%, putting it 5% below its recent high and closing at 6,632.19. The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.93% to end at 22,105.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 119.38 points, or 0.26%, and settled at 46,558.47.
Rising oil prices tied to geopolitical tensions have weighed on market sentiment, keeping investors cautious.
Meanwhile, a federal judge on Friday rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to subpoena Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, delivering a significant legal victory for the central bank.
US District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the subpoenas issued by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro were improper and appeared to be politically motivated.
Mortgage rates climbed to their highest level since September on Friday as bond yields rose amid escalating tensions related to the war in Iran.
According to media reports, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage reached 6.41%. Mortgage rates tend to track movements in the 10-year US Treasury yield, which moved higher again on Friday, contributing to the latest increase in borrowing costs.