Mumbai, Jan 14: The Indian benchmark indices traded flat with a mild negative bias on Wednesday amid fears of disruption to Iranian crude exports and sustained FII outflows.

As of 9.25 am, Sensex slipped 74 points, or 0.09 per cent to 83,552 and Nifty eased 12 points, or 0.05 per cent to 25,719.

Main broad-cap indices showed slight divergence with benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 unchanged, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 0.48 per cent.

ONGC, Coal India and NTPC were among major gainers on the Nifty. Sectoral indices were trading mixed with the majority of them in the red. Nifty metal as well as oil and gas were among the major gainers, up 0.84 per cent and 0.32 per cent.

Oil prices jumped 2.8 per cent to a seven-week high on escalating Iran tensions, fuelled by nationwide anti-government protests and US President Donald Trump’s public support for demonstrators.

According to market watchers, immediate support for Nifty lies at 25,550–25,600 zone, while resistance remained at 25,850–25,900 zone.

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed during the morning session as traders parsed China’s exports growth data from December which sharply beat expectations.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped over 1.5 per cent following rising expectations that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi could call for a snap election, likely in February.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index added 1.2 per cent, and Shenzhen gained 1.98 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei advanced 1.57 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.8 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.17 per cent.

The US markets ended mostly in the red overnight as Nasdaq lost 0.1 per cent. The S&P 500 declined 0.19 per cent, and the Dow moved down 0.8 per cent.

On January 13, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold net equities worth Rs 1,500 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,182 crore.

Mumbai, Jan 13: Following a sharp recovery from lower levels, Indian benchmark indices traded flat with a negative bias on Tuesday amid rising geopolitical tensions and sustained foreign institutional outflows.

As of 9.29 am, Sensex slipped 85 points, or 0.10 per cent to 83,792 and Nifty eased 22 points, or 0.08 per cent to 25,768.

Main broad-cap indices showed slight divergence with benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 up 0.11 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 0.38 per cent.

ONGC and SBI were among major gainers on the Nifty. Sectoral indices were trading mixed, with the majority of them in the red. Nifty Media and PSU bank were among the major gainers, up 0.79 per cent and 0.67 per cent.

Immediate support lies at 25,650–25,700 zone, while resistance remained at 25,950–26,000 zone, market watchers said.

Analysts said that US President Donald Trump’s weaponisation of tariffs has affected global trade, especially countries which have been targeted with penal tariffs. Trump’s latest declaration that the US will impose 25 per cent tariffs on countries doing trade with Iran clearly sends out the message that this policy of weaponisation of tariffs will continue.

The charges against Fed chief Jerome Powell signals that markets will continue to be weighed down by the US president’s unprecedented, unstable, unpredictable behaviour, they predicted.

The Indian market rebounded on Monday after US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, said the US is determined to have a trade agreement with India and talks will resume.

Moreover, Q3 results will lead to stock-specific action in near term, market watchers added.

Asia-Pacific markets traded in the green zone during the morning session as traders overlooked geopolitical concerns in Iran and Venezuela, as well as a criminal investigation into the US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped over 3 per cent following reports of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party planning to dissolve the country’s Lower House later this month and opt for a snap election in February.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index eased 0.03 per cent, and Shenzhen lost 0.31 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei advanced 3.21 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.93 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.74 per cent.

The US markets ended mostly in the green overnight as Nasdaq added 0.26 per cent. The S&P 500 gained 0.16 per cent, and the Dow moved up 0.17 per cent.

On January 12, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold net equities worth Rs 3,638 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 3,769 crore.

New Delhi, Jan 12: India’s inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was estimated at 1.33 per cent for December 2025, which is marginally higher than the corresponding figure of 0.71 per cent for November.

Food inflation remained in the negative zone during December at (-) 2.71 per cent, as prices of food goods fell compared to the same month of the previous year. Food inflation has now stayed negative for the seventh month in a row, easing the burden on household budgets. However, the figure for December was a tad higher than the (-) 3.91 per cent recorded for November.

The increase in headline inflation and food inflation during December 2025 is mainly attributed to an increase in inflation of personal care and effects, vegetables, meat and fish, egg, spices, and pulses, according to an official statement.

However, the overall outlook for inflation remains benign. The RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) last month slashed its forecast for India’s inflation rate for the financial year 2025-26 to 2 per cent from 2.6 per cent predicted in October due to the sharp decline in food prices and the GST rate cuts playing out.

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced a reduction in the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent from 5.5 per cent earlier, as inflation has come down and the monetary policy could focus on boosting growth.

Malhotra said that the surge in economic growth to 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of the current financial year and the sharp decline in inflation to 1.7 per cent provided a rare “Goldilocks period” for the Indian economy.

“The MPC noted that headline inflation has eased significantly and is likely to be softer than the earlier projections, primarily on account of the exceptionally benign food prices. Reflecting these favourable conditions, the projections for average headline inflation in 2025-26 and Q1:2026-27 have been further revised downwards.”

Malhotra also pointed out that core inflation (which excludes food and fuel) remained largely contained in September-October, despite continued price pressures exerted by precious metals. Excluding gold, core inflation moderated to 2.6 per cent in October. Overall, the decline in inflation has become more generalised, he added.

The RBI Governor observed that food supply prospects have improved on the back of higher kharif production, healthy rabi sowing, adequate reservoir levels and conducive soil moisture. Barring some metals, international commodity prices are likely to moderate going forward.