Oil prices rise as hope for a US-Iran truce fades

Indian shares were poised for a lackluster opening on Monday, as investors displayed caution following the benchmark indexes' longest weekly decline since 2020. The oil prices had surged due to a deadlock in US-Iran peace negotiations. President Donald Trump had ruled out an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and cease hostilities, while Iran maintained on Sunday that only dialogue could resolve the conflict with the U.S. and Israel.

The GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 23,111 points by 7:41 a.m. IST, suggesting a subdued start for the Nifty 50 index, which finished at 23,140.5 on Friday. Brent crude futures jumped 1.5%, reaching approximately $106 per barrel, while Asian markets declined 0.2%. Oil prices had been at the forefront of market attention since late February when the U.S. and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran, igniting a Middle Eastern war.

India, the world's third-largest crude importer, is particularly susceptible to higher prices, as they can fuel inflation, escalate import expenditures, and depress corporate margins. The Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex have endured a seven-day streak of losses, resulting in a loss of nearly 6%. Foreign investors sold Indian shares worth 36.94 billion rupees ($385.54 million) on Friday, according to preliminary figures.

They had disposed of $1.8 billion of shares by the end of September, bringing their year-to-date sell-off to $25.86 billion.