Indian equity benchmarks ended lower on Tuesday, August 11, with Nifty 50 slipping below the 24,500 mark, as a rebound in crude oil prices and volatility associated with the weekly F&O expiry weighed on investor sentiment.

Analysts say market momentum now shifts to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) data due on Wednesday, which is expected to provide fresh direction for global interest-rate expectations and broader market sentiment.

STATE OF THE MARKETS

GIFT Nifty (Earlier SGX Nifty) signals a muted start

GIFT Nifty on the NSE IX traded higher by 15 points, or 0.06 per cent, at 24,530, signaling that Dalal Street was headed for a muted start on Wednesday.

Tech View: The Nifty50 index has fallen below critical near-term moving averages, indicating some weakness in the short-term trend. However, on the lower end, 24,400 remains an immediate support, and any decline is likely to find buying interest around this level, according to Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities. On the higher end, resistance is placed at 24,600–24,650. “The sentiment is likely to remain positive as long as the index sustains above 24,400. However, the sentiment might weaken upon a decisive fall below 24400," said De.

India VIX: India VIX, which is a measure of the fear in the markets, rose 3.73 % to settle at 11.79 levels.

Wall Street ended lower on Tuesday, with Amazon and Alphabet dipping, as investors became more pessimistic about a potential deal to bring stability to the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the U.S. does not change its behavior and accept Iran's conditions to end the war, the newly appointed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said.

In stocks, MSCI’s Asia Pacific equities gauge advanced 0.4%, with South Korea’s Kospi Index rising 1.5%. Stocks in Japan, which returned from a holiday, were mixed. The robust earnings from tech companies helped US equity-index futures edge up 0.1%.

S&P 500 futures were little changed as of 9:02 a.m. Tokyo time

Hang Seng futures fell 0.4%

Japan’s Topix rose 0.3%

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5%

Euro Stoxx 50 futures rose 0.2%

Oil prices rose on Wednesday morning as doubts about a U.S.-Iran peace deal and attacks on two ships fuelled concerns about Middle East supply disruptions, even as industry data showed U.S. crude inventories expanded.

Brent futures gained 72 cents, or 0.81%, to $89.63 a barrel by 0053 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 71 cents, or 0.85%, to $83.91.

The dollar traded sideways at the start of the Asian session on Wednesday, shrugging off renewed attacks on shipping in critical waterways in the Middle East, as currency markets awaited the release of inflation data later in the global day.

Read Also: Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Wednesday

Stocks in F&O ban today

2) SAIL

Securities in the ban period under the F&O segment include companies in which the security has crossed 95% of the market-wide position limit.

Foreign portfolio investors net bought shares worth Rs 258.55 crore on Tuesday, while DIIs added shares worth Rs 24.77 crore.

The Indian rupee traded weaker on Monday, declining around 15 paise to 95.43, as the recent rally in crude oil prices put pressure on the domestic currency.