The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open lower on Monday, following mixed global market cues, as investors assessed the latest developments over the US-Iran war in the Middle East and as the surge in crude oil prices continue to dent investor sentiment.
Asian markets rose, while the US stock market ended mixed, with all three Wall Street indices posting strong gains last week.
The Indian stock market was closed on Friday, 3 April 2025, on account of Good Friday.
On Thursday, the Indian stock market recouped sharp losses and ended in the green for the second consecutive session on fag-end buying.
The Sensex gained 185.23 points, or 0.25%, to close at 73,319.55, while the Nifty 50 settled 33.70 points, or 0.15%, higher at 22,713.10.
“Market sentiment remains fragile and depends on the developments in the US–Iran war, with crude oil prices and foreign fund flows expected to remain key drivers of market direction in the near term,” said Siddhartha Khemka – Head of Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.
Here are key global market cues for Sensex today:
Asian Markets
Asian markets traded higher as investors watched out for the latest developments in the US-Iran war. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.62%, and the Topix rose 0.23%. South Korea’s Kospi rallied 1.8% while the Kosdaq advanced 0.98%. Markets in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan are closed for a holiday.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 22,635 level, a discount of nearly 132 points from the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a negative start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market ended mixed on Thursday as diplomatic signals from the Middle East helped calm markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.13%, to 46,504.67, while the S&P 500 rose 0.11% to 6,582.69. The Nasdaq Composite closed 0.18% higher at 21,879.18. For the week, the S&P 500 rallied 3.36%, the Nasdaq surged 4.44%, and the Dow rose 2.96%.
Nvidia stock price rose 0.93%, Microsoft share price gained 1.11%, AMD shares rallied 3.47%, while Tesla stock price plunged 5.42%.
US-Iran War
US President Donald Trump appeared to set a new, final deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening Tehran with “Hell” in an expletive-laden post on his Truth Social platform. Trump’s fresh threat to Iran came after the US President’s repeated threats to target Iran’s critical and energy infrastructure if Tehran did not accept a truce deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US Nonfarm Payrolls
US job growth rebounded more than expected in March. US nonfarm payrolls increased by 178,000 jobs last month, the most since December 2024, after a downwardly revised 133,000 drop in February. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 60,000 jobs after a previously reported 92,000 decrease in February.
Japanese Bond Yields
Benchmark Japanese government bond (JGB) yields rose to a fresh near-three-decade high on Monday. The benchmark 10-year JGB yield rose 2 basis points (bps) to 2.400%, the highest since February 1999. The five-year yield rose 2 bps to 1.815%.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices rose amid fears of supply losses due to shipping disruptions in the Middle East from the US-Iran war. Brent crude futures rose 1.6% to $110.74 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 0.6% to trade at $112.25 per barrel.
Gold Rate Today
Gold prices declined more than 1%, pressured by a stronger dollar and fading hopes of US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Spot gold price fell 1.2% to $4,620.68 per ounce, while US gold futures for April delivery lost 0.7% to $4,647.10. Spot silver price fell 1% to $72.28 per ounce.
Dollar
The dollar was steady. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six rivals, was at 100.2. The euro eased 0.13% to $1.151, while sterling last fetched $1.3187. The Japanese yen weakened to 159.77 per US dollar.
Banks’ Q4 Business Updates
Banking stocks like HDFC Bank, Yes Bank, IDBI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Union Bank of India and RBL Bank will remain in focus after the companies reported their Q4 business update over the weekend, ahead of the beginning of the Q4 results 2026 season.
(With inputs from Reuters)
