Indian equity markets enter the next trading under significant duress following a brutal Friday sell-off that saw the Sensex tank 1,097 points and the Nifty slip below the 24,500 mark.
This downturn was fueled by a sharp spike in Brent crude, which surged past $87 per barrel as shipping halted at the Hormuz Strait amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions.
While India’s external buffers remain formidable with forex reserves at $728.5 billion, the jump in the India VIX by over 11% signals heightened near-term anxiety.
In India, the M3 Money Supply figures for the fortnight ended on February 28 would be made public on Wednesday (11 March 2026). Money Supply M3 in India increased to Rs 322,144.23 billion in the week ending December 31 from Rs 246833.33 billion two weeks before.
On Thursday (12 March 2026), the Inflation Rate for February 2026 would be announced. The inflation rate in India rose to 2.75% in January of 2026, firmly above market expectations of 2.4%. The result marked the first inflation rate within the RBI's tolerance band of 2%-4% since August of the previous year.
On Friday (13 March 2026), the Foreign Exchange Reserves position for the period ended on March 06 would be released. Foreign Exchange Reserves in India increased to $728490 million in February 27 from $723610 million in the previous week.
In China, the Foreign Exchange Reserves position for February would be made public on Saturday (07 March 2026). China’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $41.2 billion to $3.399 trillion in January 2026 from $3.358 trillion in December 2025.
On Monday (09 March 2026), the Inflation Rate for February 2026 would be announced. China’s annual inflation eased sharply to 0.2% in January 2026 from 0.8% a month earlier, marking the lowest print since October.
On Tuesday (10 March 2026), the Balance of Trade data for January-February period would be made public. China posted a record USD 1.189 trillion trade surplus in 2025, with exports rising 5.5% while imports were flat.
In the United States, the ADP Employment Change Weekly figures would be announced on Tuesday (10 March 2026). US private employers added an average of 12,750 jobs per week in the four weeks ending February 7, 2026, up from a revised 11,500 in the previous period, according to ADP Research Institute.
On Wednesday (11 March 2026), the API Crude Oil Stock Change for the week ended on February 20 would be unveiled. US crude oil inventories rose by 5.6 million barrels in the week ended February 27th, 2026, adding to a 11.4 million-barrel surge in the prior week and more than twice the expected 2.19 million barrel build.
Wednesday would also see the release of the inflation rate for the month of February. The annual inflation rate in the US slowed to 2.4% in January 2026, its lowest level since May, down from 2.7% in each of the previous two months.
The Monthly Budget Statement for February 2026 would also be announced on the same day. The US government recorded a $94.6 billion budget deficit in January 2026, compared with a $128.6 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier.
On Thursday (12 March 2026), the preliminary Building Permits data for January 2026 would be made public. The US building permits increased 4.8% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.455 million in December 2025, slightly above the preliminary estimate of 1.448 million, revised figures showed. The reading marked the highest level since March 2025.
The Housing Starts data for January 2026 would be released on the same day. The US housing starts rose 6.2% month-on-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.404 million in December 2025, up from 1.322 million in November.
Lastly, the balance of trade data for January 2026 would also be unveiled on Thursday. The US trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion in December 2025 from $53 billion in November. Exports were down 1.7% to $287.3 billion, while imports increased 4.8% to $4,333.8 billion.
On Friday (13 March 2026), the second estimate for the fourth quarter GDP growth rate would be released. The US economy expanded an annualized 1.4% in Q4 2025, the least since Q1 2025, following a 4.4% growth in Q3, the advance estimate showed.
The JOLTs Job Openings figures for January would be released on the same day. The Job openings in the US fell by 386,000 to 6.542 million in December 2025, the lowest since September 2020.
Friday would also see the release of the preliminary reading of the Michigan Consumer Sentiment for the month of March. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index was revised down to 56.6 in February 2026 from a preliminary 57.3, little changed from January’s 56.4.