The Indian stock market reversed its recent gains in Monday’s session on April 13, as sentiment was once again dampened by rising crude prices after US-Iran peace talks over the weekend failed to yield a deal, triggering renewed concerns in the region.
The Nifty 50 ended the session with a nearly 1% drop, settling at 23,842, while the S&P BSE Sensex wrapped up trade at 76,788, down 1% from Friday’s close. The broader markets also mirrored the weak trend, with both the Nifty Midcap 100 and Nifty Smallcap 100 indices ending the session with losses of over 0.46%.
Although the benchmark indices closed with sharp losses, they recovered about half of their opening declines, indicating that they are finding support at lower levels. At one point, both the Nifty 50 and Sensex had slumped as much as 2%.
The much-anticipated peace deal between the US and Iran collapsed as both countries failed to reach a consensus, triggering a spike in crude oil prices, with Brent surging 10% to cross the $100 mark for the first time in three sessions.
Following the collapse of the talks, US President Donald Trump said the US would start “blockading any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.” “I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he wrote on social media.
Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, said, “Until there is visible de-escalation and greater stability in energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, markets are likely to remain volatile and driven by headlines. With the U.S. blockade now in effect, near-term direction will be closely tied to developments in the Gulf region and their implications for global assets and energy prices.”
Jyoti CNC leads losses; OLA Electric snaps 7-day rally
Jyoti CNC Automation emerged as the top laggard among Nifty 500 stocks, plunging 14.7% to ₹699 apiece after French authorities initiated a probe into its subsidiary. OLA Electric shares came under profit booking, falling 6.4% to ₹38.27 apiece and snapping a seven-day winning streak, during which the stock had gained 74%.
In addition, other auto stocks such as Eicher Motors, Maruti Suzuki India, Hero MotoCorp, Ashok Leyland, and TVS Motor Company declined between 2.5% and 5% after the Delhi government released a new draft electric vehicle (EV) policy. The policy proposes significant incentives for electric two-wheelers and mandates that only electric two-wheelers will be registered in Delhi from April 1, 2028.
New-age tech stocks such as Swiggy, PB Fintech, and Meesho also declined by 4%, 3.6%, and 2.6%, respectively. Amid a rebound in crude oil prices, oil marketing companies (OMCs) such as HPCL, BPCL, and IOCL fell between 1.5% and 3.5%, while InterGlobe Aviation also declined 2.8% to ₹4,427 apiece.
(more to come)