GIFT Nifty:

GIFT Nifty March 2026 futures were down 339 points (or 1.46%) in early trade, signaling a weak opening for the Nifty 50 today.

Institutional Flows:

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 10,414.23 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 12,033.97 crore in the Indian equity market on 20 March 2026, provisional data showed.

The FIIs have sold shares worth Rs 97,195.12 crore in March (till 20 March 2026). This follows their cash sales of Rs 6,640.78 crore in February and Rs 41,435.22 crore in January 2026.

Global Markets:

Asia markets jumped on Tuesday as signs of de-escalation in the Middle East conflict moderated oil prices.

The gains came after U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he had instructed the U.S. military to delay planned strikes on Iran's power plants and energy facilities for five days, after discussions with Iranian officials. The development gave investors hope that the Middle East conflict that spiked oil prices and raised fears of a global recession was nearing an end.

However, Iranian state media, citing an unnamed senior security official in a Telegram post, disputed Trump's account, denying that any talks had taken place between Washington and Tehran.

Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei 225 and the Topix indices clocked strong gains after the country's headline inflation rate eased for a fourth straight month in February as the economy cooled on stabilizing food prices and fuel subsidies.

The consumer price index fell to 1.3% last month, according to data released by Japan's Statistics Bureau Tuesday, marking the lowest since March 2022 and below the central bank's 2% target, down from 1.5% in January.

Overnight in the U.S., stocks rallied after President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran have held talks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 631 points, or 1.38%, to close at 46,208.47.

The S&P 500 rose 1.15% and ended at 6,581.00, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.38% and settled at 21,946.76.

Domestic Market:

The domestic equity benchmarks ended sharply lower on Monday, as escalating tensions between the US and Iran, rising crude oil prices and a weakening rupee weighed heavily on investor sentiment.

After a strong rebound on Friday, markets opened gap-down and remained under sustained selling pressure throughout the session, with the Nifty briefly slipping below the 22,500 mark intraday for the first time since 9 April 2025 before closing below 22,550.

The decline was broad-based, led by consumer durables and metal stocks, amid weak global cues and persistent foreign fund outflows, reflecting heightened risk aversion.

The S&P BSE Sensex tanked 1,836.57 points or 2.46% to 72,696.39. The Nifty 50 index plunged 601.85 points or 2.60% to 22,512.65.

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