The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open higher on Thursday, following overnight gains on Wall Street, on hopes of de-escalation in the US-Iran war.
Asian markets traded higher, while the US stock market ended mixed overnight, with the Nasdaq posting an 11-session winning streak for the first time since November 2021.
On Wednesday, the Indian stock market saw a fresh spell of buying, with both the benchmark indices jumping over a per cent each.
The rallied 1,263.67 points, or 1.64%, to close at 78,111.24, while the Nifty 50 closed 388.65 points, or 1.63%, higher at 24,231.30.
“The Indian equities are expected to sustain their upward bias as long as the peace talk narrative holds and crude stays in check, though FII flows and geopolitical developments will be closely watched,” 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 on Thursday, following overnight gains on Wall Street, on rising hopes of a US-Iran peace deal. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.3%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.81%, while the Topix gained 0.70%. South Korea’s Kospi rallied 1.03% while the Kosdaq rose 0.77%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures indicated a higher opening.
Gift Nifty Today
Gift Nifty was trading around 24,314, a premium of nearly 77 points over the Nifty futures’ previous close, indicating a positive start for the Indian stock market indices.
Wall Street
US stock market ended mostly higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting record closing highs, supported by upbeat corporate earnings and hopes of progress in the US-Iran peace talks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 72.27 points, or 0.15%, to 48,463.72, while the S&P 500 gained 55.57 points, or 0.80%, to 7,022.95. The Nasdaq Composite closed 376.93 points, or 1.60%, higher at 24,016.02.
NVIDIA’s stock price rose 1.23%, AMD’s shares gained 1.20%, Microsoft’s share price rallied 4.63%, Apple’s stock price advanced 2.95%, Amazon’s shares fell 0.21%, s share price jumped 4.5%, and Tesla’s stock price surged 7.63%.
Broadcom shares rallied 4.2%, Snap share price spiked 7.9%, and Allbirds stock price skyrocketed 582%.
US-Iran War
Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei warned that if US forces invade, Iran would capture American soldiers as hostages and attack US naval ships enforcing a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the was “very close to over”.
Japanese Yield Curve
Japan’s yield curve steepened as expectations of an imminent interest rate hike by the central bank diminished, Reuters reported. The yield on the two-year Japanese government bond (JGB) decreased 0.5 basis point (bp) to 1.365%. The benchmark 10-year yield rose 1 bp to 2.415%.
India Trade Deficit
India’s trade deficit narrowed to a nine-month low of $20.67 billion in March on account of lower imports. Exports posted the steepest fall in five months, declining by 7.44% in March to $38.92 billion. Imports dipped by 6.51% to $59.59 billion. For the full 2025-26 fiscal year, exports grew 0.93% to an all-time high of $441.78 billion, while imports rose 7.45% to $775 billion. The ballooned to $333.2 billion.
Unemployment Rate
India’s unemployment rate for people aged 15 years and above rose to 5.1% in March 2026 from 4.9% in the previous month. The in urban areas rose to 6.8% in March from 6.6% the previous month. The rural unemployment rate remained nearly unchanged, rising slightly from 4.2% in February to 4.3% in March.
Crude Oil Prices
Crude oil prices fell on hopes for easing US-Iran tensions, following reports that Iran could allow ships to pass through around the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures dropped 0.5% to $94.49 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures declined 0.8% to $90.59 a barrel.
Gold Rate Today
Gold prices traded higher as a renewed push for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war eased inflation concerns. Spot gold price rose 0.5% to $4,812.95 an ounce, while silver prices gained 0.6% to $79.39 an ounce.
Dollar
The US dollar held near its lowest level since early March against major currencies. The dollar index, which measures the currency’s strength against six major peers, was steady at 98.027. The euro stood at $1.1808, and the sterling traded at $1.3569, both up about 0.1%. The Japanese yen was firmer at 158.78, while the offshore yuan traded at 6.8146 yuan per dollar, up about 0.04%.
(With inputs from Agencies)