Mumbai: Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened sharply lower on Thursday, March 12, 2026, with Brent crude again bouncing back to USD 100 levels amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. While the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 494.06 points or 0.80 per cent to start the session at 76,369.65, the Nifty shed 192 points to open at 23,674.85. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 76,863.71 and the Nifty 50 at 23,866.85. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index gained 213.03 points, or 1.34 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was down by 102.80 points or 1.38 per cent, to trade at 7,331.18.
From the Sensex pack, all 30 stocks were in the red with Indigo being the biggest loser by dipping 3.48 per cent. Eternal, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro were among the stocks that tumbled the most.
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 2,132 stocks advancing against 372 stocks declining on the NSE. 70 stocks remained unchanged.
"As long as the market is trading below 24,000/77500, a weak sentiment is likely to continue. On the lower side, the market may retest the level of 23,700/76300. Further downside could continue, dragging the market till 23,600-23,550/76000-75800. On the flip side, above 24,000/77500, a pullback move could extend up to 24,150/78000," said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative opening with a fall of points at 23,856, compared to the previous close of 23,915.50. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling streak for the ninth consecutive session and offloaded equities worth Rs 6,267.31 crore on March 10, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) provided strong support by purchasing equities of Rs 4,965.53 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks fell broadly on Thursday as the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil topped USD 100 a barrel early Thursday. While Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1,223.37 points or 2.22 per cent to trade at 53,802.00, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down by 384.76 points. Similarly, South Korea's Kospi traded in the red with a fall of 78.13 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai's SSE Composite index was down by 26.47 points or 0.64 per cent.
