Indian indices fall on US-Iran tensions

On July 20, 2026, Indian equity benchmark indices ended lower as investors remained cautious amid rising crude oil prices and escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 442.93 points (0.57%) to close at 77,708.52, while the NIFTY 50 declined 95.80 points (0.39%) to settle at 24,238.50. The decline was attributed to the collapse of the June ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which pushed crude oil prices higher, raising concerns over inflation and the global economic outlook. Brent Crude was trading at USD 88.19 per barrel. Sectoral indices on the NSE ended mixed, with Nifty PSU Bank gaining 2.78% and Nifty Private Bank dropping 2.27%. Other Asian markets also ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei 225 declining over 4%, South Korea's KOSPI down 4.67%, Singapore's Straits Times falling 0.19%, and Taiwan's TAIEX losing 0.52%. The India — Indian rupee traded at Rs 96.45 per US dollar. Market experts noted that the probability of future rate hikes is increasing as inflation and global bond yields trend higher, and that the initial set of Q1 earnings has been encouraging, driven largely by PSU banks, oil & gas, and metals.