Mumbai, March 11: The Indian equity markets posted moderate losses in early trade on Wednesday over cautious sentiment amid the ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran, leading to the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

As of 9.25 am, Sensex lost 109 points, or 0.14 per cent, to reach 78,096 and Nifty eased 26 points, or 0.11 per cent to reach 24,234.

Main broad-cap indices showed divergence with the benchmark indices, as the Nifty Midcap 100 gained 0.72 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 0.85 per cent.

All sectoral indices traded in green except Nifty FMCG, financial services and private banks. Private banks led the losses down 0.73 per cent. Nifty media, metal and consumer durables were among the top gainers, up 1.52 per cent, 1.58 per cent and 1.25 per cent, respectively.

Near-term resistance for Nifty is placed at 24370-24416 area, while strong support spans the 23700-24080 zone, analysts said.

Derivatives data from yesterday’s session showed that foreign investors and proprietary traders remained positive, while retail investors went bearish, they added.

Resistance for Bank Nifty is seen near 57,200–57,300 zone, while support is located in the 56,600–56,700 zone, market participants said.

Sectorally, auto, financials, and consumer-oriented stocks led the recovery in the previous session, while some pressure was seen in select IT and oil & gas counters. Broader markets also remained firm, with midcap and small-cap stocks outperforming the frontline indices, reflecting selective buying interest across sectors.

On Wednesday, markets remained unsettled over fading hopes for an early end to the US-Israeli war on Iran and stagflation concerns compounded by US President Donald Trump’s threat of retaliations following reports of Iran mining the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices which had earlier this week touched $120 a barrel, dropped below 90-mark over reports of a group of countries planning to tap emergency crude reserves to mitigate disruption caused by the conflict.

International Brent crude was down 0.44 per cent at $87.39 per barrel early on Wednesday.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai advanced 0.05 per cent, and Shenzhen added 0.85 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei moved up 2.48 per cent, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index surged 0.33 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi gained 3.41 per cent.

The US markets ended mixed overnight as Nasdaq added 0.01 per cent. The S&P 500 lost 0.21 per cent, and the Dow Jones declined 0.07 per cent.

On March 10, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net sold equities worth Rs 4,685 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 6,250 crore.

Mumbai, March 9: Indian stock markets ended sharply lower on Monday as rising geopolitical tensions linked to the ongoing US-Iran war weighed on investor sentiment.

Although the indices recovered partially from the day’s lows after crude oil prices eased.

The Nifty settled at 24,028.05, down 422.40 points or 1.73 per cent. The index also officially entered the technical correction zone after falling more than 10 per cent from its record high of 26,373, which it had touched on January 5.

The Sensex ended the day at 77,566.16, falling 1,352.74 points or 1.71 per cent.

Despite the sharp fall, both indices managed to recover from their intra-day lows as oil prices softened during the session.

The Nifty rebounded about 160 points from its day’s low of 23,868.05, while the Sensex recovered nearly 1,142 points from the intra-day low of 76,424.55.

Commenting on Nifty technical outlook, experts said that the immediate support is placed around 23,700–23,600, and a decisive breakdown below this level could extend the decline toward the 23,400–23,300 zone.

“On the upside, immediate resistance is seen around 24,300 (gap area), followed by a stronger hurdle near 24,600, which needs to be reclaimed to signal any meaningful recovery,” an analyst stated.

Market participants remained cautious amid uncertainty surrounding the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has increased volatility in global financial markets and energy prices.

Broader markets performed worse than the benchmark indices during the session. The Nifty MidCap Index ended 1.97 per cent lower, while the Nifty SmallCap Index declined 2.22 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, the Nifty PSU Bank Index was the worst performer, falling 3.97 per cent as selling pressure intensified in public sector banking stocks.

On the other hand, the Nifty IT Index showed relative resilience and managed to close slightly higher, gaining 0.08 per cent to end at 30,162.05.

Analysts said markets remain sensitive to geopolitical developments and movements in crude oil prices, which could continue to influence investor sentiment in the near term.

New Delhi, March 7: Emirates has resumed flight operations after temporarily suspending services to and from Dubai International Airport due to safety concerns, the airline said on Saturday in an update on social media.

In an update shared on the social media platform X, the airline said passengers with confirmed bookings for flights scheduled later in the day can now proceed to the airport.

The airline also said the advisory applies to travellers who are transiting through Dubai, provided their connecting flights are operating as scheduled.

“Our post from 11:08am Dubai time regarding operational status is no longer current, and has been deleted to avoid causing unnecessary confusion,” it said.

“Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai if their connecting flight is also operating,” the airline added.

Emirates advised passengers to check the status of their flights and seat availability through its official channels before heading to the airport. This is to ensure that their flights are operating as scheduled.

The airline added that it is closely monitoring the situation and will make adjustments to its operational schedule if required.

“Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly,” the airline stated.

“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised,” it mentioned.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the airline said it has temporarily suspended all flights to and from Dubai until further notice, advising passengers not to travel to the airport while operations remain halted.

In that earlier post, the airline said it will provide further updates once more information becomes available. It stressed that passenger and crew safety remains its top priority.

However, the post has been deleted now as it was creating confusion among travellers, the airline noted.