India’s BSE Sensex rose about 0.4% to around 75,793 on Tuesday, posting a second straight session of gains in a volatile trading environment, even as rising crude prices linked to Middle East tensions continued to pressure sentiment. Oil climbed above $103 per barrel amid shipping disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global supply chokepoint, heightening worries about possible supply constraints.
Foreign investors offloaded roughly $1.01 billion in Indian equities on Monday, extending a 12-day streak of net outflows and bringing total withdrawals so far in March to about $6.9 billion. Data released Monday showed India’s trade deficit widened to $27.10 billion in February from $14.42 billion a year earlier, though it came in slightly below the $28 billion forecast. Elevated freight costs and disruptions across West Asia weighed on trade, and the full impact of tensions in the Gulf has yet to be felt, likely adding further pressure to trade flows.
Among individual stocks, notable gainers included ITI (+3.2%), Eternal (+2.9%), BSE (+2%), and Bajel Projects (+6.4%).
