Indian equity benchmarks continued to trade lower in morning deals, amid persistent geopolitical conflict in the Middle East and relentless foreign fund outflows. Weakness in the US equities and subdued trend in Asian markets also dampened sentiments. Traders remained cautious as Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) stated that prolonged disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz beyond a week could rapidly spill over from energy markets to India’s fertiliser supplies, industrial inputs, construction materials and export sectors such as diamonds. Sector-wise, pharma stocks remained in watch as the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India said the domestic pharma industry is staring at a loss ranging between Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 5,000 crore due to the various supply and freight movement disruptions owing to the conflict in the Middle East. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mixed as the Middle East conflict escalated, resulting in a sharp spike in oil and gasoline prices and threatening to set off convulsions in the world economy. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 79661.48, down by 354.42 points or 0.44% after trading in a range of 79443.47 and 79753.03. There were 12 stocks advancing against 18 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Capital Goods up by 1.81%, Power up by 1.41%, IT up by 1.06%, Utilities up by 1.05% and Industrials up by 0.98%, while Bankex down by 0.98%, Realty down by 0.94%, Auto down by 0.52%, Oil & Gas down by 0.30% and Consumer Discretionary down by 0.25% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Reliance Industries up by 2.42%, Bharat Electronics up by 2.11%, NTPC up by 1.47%, Infosys up by 1.18% and HCL Technologies up by 1.11%. On the flip side, ICICI Bank down by 2.26%, Axis Bank down by 2.09%, Bajaj Finserv down by 1.57%, SBI down by 1.52% and Interglobe Aviation down by 1.47% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, India and Finland have held discussions on boosting partnership in areas such as skill development, vocational education, and workforce mobility. The discussions were held at a bilateral meeting between India’s Skill Development Minister Jayant Chaudhary and Finland’s Employment Minister Matias Marttinen. The ministers reflected on the growing convergence between the two countries in building resilient and future-ready talent ecosystems.

In order to enhance vocational education and create pathways for skilled workforce mobility, both ministers discussed opportunities to deepen collaboration between institutions, industry and training systems. Jayant Chaudhary stated ‘India's demographic strength and Finland's technological and vocational excellence create a natural partnership in the domain of skills. Our discussion focused on building practical bridges between training ecosystems, strengthening institutional cooperation and creating pathways for skilled youth to access global opportunities while maintaining high standards of training and mobility.’

Besides, Matias Marttinen said ‘India's strong skilling ecosystem and its young talent present significant opportunities for further collaboration. By strengthening cooperation between our institutions and industries, we can address workforce challenges while promoting innovation, skills development and sustainable economic growth.’ 

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24669.10, down by 96.80 points or 0.39% after trading in a range of 24587.15 and 24700.90. There were 20 stocks advancing against 30 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Reliance Industries up by 2.45%, Bharat Electronics up by 2.09%, NTPC up by 1.56%, Hindalco up by 1.52% and Wipro up by 1.25%. On the flip side, ICICI Bank down by 2.14%, Axis Bank down by 1.99%, Max Healthcare Inst down by 1.66%, Interglobe Aviation down by 1.59% and Larsen & Toubro down by 1.53% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mixed; Taiwan Weighted lost 100.82 points or 0.3% to 33,572.12, Jakarta Composite plunged 201.44 points or 2.61% to 7,509.10, KOSPI dropped 60.27 points or 1.08% to 5,523.63 and Straits Times fell 1.22 points or 0.03% to 4,845.34.

On the flip side, Nikkei 225 surged 138.94 points or 0.25% to 55,417.00, Shanghai Composite strengthened 7.35 points or 0.18% to 4,115.92 and Hang Seng advanced 449.66 points or 1.74% to 25,771.00.