Sensex, Nifty open subdued amid easing West Asia tensions

Indian stock markets opened flat on Tuesday after several sessions of gains fueled by easing West‑Asia tensions.

The Sensex opened at 77,086.05, down 8 points (0.01%), while the Nifty began at 24,071.30, lower by 31.60 points (0.13%).

Sector‑wise, Nifty Pharma led the gainers with a 0.41% rise, followed by Nifty MidSmall Healthcare up 0.40%, and Nifty 500 Healthcare along with Nifty Media each gaining 0.29%.

Nifty Cement and Nifty Oil & Gas also advanced, gaining 0.27% and 0.18% respectively.

In contrast, Nifty Metal was the worst‑performing sector, slipping 0.80%, while Nifty IT fell 0.77%.

Among the Nifty 50 constituents, Infosys, Hindalco Industries, TCS, HCLTech, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel and Wipro were the top losers in early trade.

The broader market stayed resilient, with small‑cap and mid‑cap indices outperforming the benchmarks.

Nifty Smallcap 50 rose 0.34%, while Nifty Smallcap 250 and Nifty Smallcap 500 gained 0.33% and 0.28% respectively.

Meanwhile, the India VIX – the market’s fear gauge – declined 0.7% to 12.75.

According to market experts, easing West‑Asia tensions and Brent crude’s sharp dip below $80 a barrel have improved the outlook for India’s GDP growth and corporate earnings in FY27.

They noted that a stable rupee and a moderation in foreign portfolio investor (FPI) selling remain key positives for equities.

However, they cautioned that monsoon progress will be closely watched, as a prolonged rainfall deficit could weigh on rural demand, inflation and FMCG sectors.

In the commodities market, international benchmark Brent crude slipped 0.5% to $77.51 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 0.35% to $73.60 per barrel.