Indian Markets Flat Amid Geopolitical Tensions

Indian benchmark indices, S&P BSE Sensex>>> and NIFTY 50>>>, ended almost flat in choppy trade on Thursday. This was primarily due to investor caution stemming from ongoing uncertainty in West Asia, relentless foreign fund outflows, and anticipation of the State Bank of India>>>'s monetary policy decision. Geopolitical tensions, including the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz>>>, along with elevated Brent Crude>>> prices, weighed on sentiment. While some heavyweight stocks like Titan Company>>>, ITC Limited>>>, Mahindra & Mahindra>>>, State Bank of India>>>, and ICICI Bank>>> saw gains, others like Infosys>>>, Bajaj Finserv>>>, UltraTech Cement>>>, HCLTech>>>, and Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone>>> were laggards. Global markets showed mixed performance, with Asian markets in South Korea>>>, Japan>>>, China — Shanghai>>>, and China — Hong Kong>>> ending lower, United States>>> markets also closing down, and Europe>>> trading mostly higher.