Stock market today: Amid weak global cues on the US-Iran war, the Indian stock market extended its decline on Friday, ending sharply lower as it continued the ongoing corrective phase. The Nifty 50 index crashed over 2% and closed at 22,819. The BSE Sensex tanked 1,690 points or 2.25% and settled at 73,583. The Bank Nifty index nosedived 1,433 points, or 2.67%, to end at 52,274.
Sectoral participation remained broadly negative, reflecting widespread weakness across the market. Real estate, auto, and financial stocks were among the key laggards, while IT and pharma showed relatively better resilience, ending with only marginal losses. The broader markets also faced notable selling pressure, with both the midcap and smallcap indices declining by 1.5–2%, indicating continued caution among investors.
What Gift Nifty live chart, Asian market signalling?
The Nifty is down around 375 points and trading below the crucial 22,500 level. Asian markets have opened with significant cuts, with South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei declining sharply by over 4%.
On it would impact the Indian stock market today, Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said, “The Indian stock market is set to begin the week on a weak footing, with early indications pointing towards a gap-down opening. GIFT Nifty is trading near the 22,470 mark, reflecting a sharp negative handover from global markets. The pressure is largely external, as escalating geopolitical tensions and surging crude oil prices continue to dominate investor sentiment.”
Speaking on the reason for the Asian stock market crash, Hariprasad K, SEBI-registered Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said the Asian markets have opened with significant cuts, with South Korea’s Kospi and Japan’s Nikkei declining the most.
“The broad-based weakness comes as the Middle East conflict enters its fifth week, with fresh escalation after Yemen’s Houthi movement reportedly launched missile strikes on Israel. This marks a widening of the conflict footprint and has heightened fears of prolonged instability in the region,” Hariprasad added.
US-Iran war
US President Donald Trump is considering a military operation to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials.
Trump has not made a decision on the operation due to considerations over the danger to US troops. But he remains generally open to the idea, the WSJ report said.
On Saturday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced their entry into the West Asia war on Saturday (March 28, 2026) by launching a ballistic missile towards Israel, as the world struggled to contain the economic damage of a conflict now entering its second month.
In a post on X, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at what it described as sensitive Israeli military sites, in support of Iran and allied Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Crude oil price rises
According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price advanced as Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen entered the Middle East war and more US troops arrived in the region, raising fears the widening conflict will cause further chaos for energy markets.
Brent — on track for a record monthly gain — surged as much as 3.7% to $116.75 a barrel after the Houthis fired missiles at Israel over the weekend, and said they would continue operations until attacks on Iran and its proxy militant groups cease. West Texas Intermediate jumped above $100.
Gold, silver rates today
Gold and silver rates today fell up to 2% as the US-Iran war enters its fifth week with no signs of ending.
Spot gold rate today dropped 1.38% to $4,462 per ounce on Monday, March 30, after ending the previous session up 2.7%. Meanwhile, silver prices were down 2% to $68.3 per ounce during the Asian trading hours.
According to a Bloomberg report, opportunistic buyers are beginning to step in following the gold market’s sharpest selloff in years, though worries persist that a prolonged conflict could prompt central banks to offload their holdings or raise interest rates to curb inflation.
Sharing her outlook for gold rate today in India, Sugandha Sachdeva, Founder of SS WealthStreet, said, “On the domestic front, the gold prices are likely to find support near the ₹1,35,000 to ₹1,33,500 zone, with a strong resistance zone seen around ₹1,57,600. A sustained break beyond this range will be required to establish a clear directional trend.”
On the outlook of the gold price today, Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, said that the broader structure still reflects underlying weakness, with geopolitical tensions offering only intermittent safe-haven support and limiting sustained upside.
“A sustained move above $4,600 could extend the rally toward $4,680–$4,750, with further upside potential toward $4,850, where stronger supply is expected. On the downside, a break below $4,300 may accelerate weakness toward the $4,100–$4,150 zone,” the Enrich Money CEO said.
USD vs INR
The Indian National Rupee (INR) has weakened sharply, touching record lows near 94.7 against the US dollar (USD). In response, the Reserve Bank of India has taken the unusual step of directing banks to cap their net open positions in the currency market. This move signals heightened concern around currency volatility and reflects the central bank’s attempt to stabilise excessive fluctuations. However, it also underscores the fragility in external balances amid rising oil prices and capital outflows.
India VIX today
Volatility remains elevated, with India VIX holding near 26.8. Such high volatility creates an unfavourable environment for derivatives trading, particularly for option sellers, as premiums remain elevated and price swings become unpredictable.
Stock market today
Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 today, Ajit Mishra, SVP — Research at Religare Broking, said, “The Nifty 50 index continues to hover near crucial support levels, indicating sustained pressure despite entering oversold territory. Immediate support is placed around 22,500, and a decisive break below this level could trigger further downside towards 22,000. On the upside, 23,000 is likely to act as an immediate hurdle, followed by a stronger resistance near the 23,500 zone in case of any recovery.”
On the outlook of the Bank Nifty today, Vatsal Bhuva, Technical Analyst at LKP Securities, said the index ended the session with a strong bearish candlestick on the daily chart, reinforcing the prevailing weakness. The pattern of lower highs and lower lows continues to hold, signalling sustained selling pressure. A hidden bearish divergence on the RSI further indicates the likelihood of trend continuation.
“The overall setup suggests adopting a sell-on-rise approach in the near term. Key support is placed around 51,500 levels, while resistance is seen in the 53,000–53,200 zone, which is expected to limit any short-term recovery,” Vatsal Bhuva added.
Stocks to buy today
Regarding stocks to buy today, market experts — Sumeet Bagadia of Choice Broking, Ganesh Dongre, Senior Manager — Technical Research at Anand Rathi, and Shiju Koothupalakkal, Senior Manager — Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, recommended these eight buy-or-sell stocks for intraday trading: Affle, Karur Vysya Bank, ICICI Prudential, TCS, GAIL, OIL, Hindustan Copper, and Aster DM Healthcare.
Sumeet Bagadia’s stock recommendations for today
1] Affle: Buy at ₹1426, Target ₹1530, Stop Loss ₹1375; and
2] Karur Vysya Bank: Buy at ₹294.35, Target ₹315, Stop Loss ₹284.
Ganesh Dongre’s buy or sell stocks
3] ICICI Prudential: Buy at ₹530, Target ₹570, Stop Loss ₹510;
4] TCS: Buy at ₹2390, Target ₹2500, Stop Loss ₹2350; and
5] GAIL: Buy at ₹137, Target ₹145, Stop Loss ₹132.
Shiju Koothupalakkal’s intraday stocks for today
6] OIL: Buy at ₹478, Target ₹510, Stop Loss ₹467;
7] Hindustan Copper: Buy at ₹493.50, Target ₹530, Stop Loss ₹482; and
8] Aster DM Healthcare: Buy at ₹668, Target ₹700, Stop Loss ₹654.
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.
