Indian stock market has crashed today: Here we decode why
What's the story
The Indian stock market witnessed a major slump today, with the Sensex and Nifty falling by 0.65% and 0.5%, respectively. The fall comes after a strong rally in the previous session. At around 10:20am, the Sensex had fallen by 486 points to trade at 77,659, while Nifty was down by 121.45 points to 24,212.30. The decline is attributed to rising oil prices amid escalating Iran-US tensions and disappointing Q1 earnings from major banks such as Axis Bank and HDFC Bank.
Geopolitical concerns
Iran-US tensions escalate, affecting global markets
The ongoing conflict between Iran and the US has intensified over the weekend, with US forces conducting a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran.
This has led to fears of further escalation in West Asia, affecting global markets.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed two oil tankers exploded and were immobilized after attempting an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Market impact
Oil prices surge amid escalating conflict
The Iran-US conflict has also led to a spike in oil prices, with Brent crude futures rising over 2% to $90.19 per barrel.
This is the highest since June 11 and comes after a 15.9% jump last week, its biggest weekly gain since April.
The rising oil prices are due to the ongoing conflict restricting shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of global daily oil and gas supply shipments.
Market reaction
Global markets mirror Indian stock market's downturn
The Indian stock market's bearish sentiment is also mirrored in the global market downturn.
Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's Kospi crashed over 4% each this morning, while Wall Street saw a sharp decline in the last session with S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq falling over 1% each.
The poor performance of heavyweight bank stocks after their Q1 earnings missed estimates has further contributed to the bearish tone of the market.
Financial indicators
Rising US Treasury yields and falling rupee add pressure
The rise in US Treasury yields has also added to the bearish sentiment in equity markets.
The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose to 4.551% while the 30-year bond yield jumped to 5.073%.
Meanwhile, the Indian rupee fell by 11p against the US dollar in early trade today, further adding pressure on domestic market.