Talks between Iran and the United States will resume next week, easing immediate geopolitical tensions and cooling crude prices. However, fresh AI-related concerns dragged technology stocks lower again. US futures and most Asian markets are in the red this morning, pointing to a weak start for Indian equities.
Iran–US talks reduce near-term war fears
Crude oil prices soften on diplomatic progress
AI investment concerns hit global tech stocks
No clarity yet on India–US trade deal after ministerial lunch meeting
India’s GDP data (base year 2022–23) due after market hours; Q3 growth seen above 8 percent
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, on a private visit to India, held a working lunch with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. Both sides termed the talks “productive”, but offered no details, keeping uncertainty over the proposed trade agreement intact.
In derivatives trading at GIFT City, Gift Nifty touched 25,559 on Thursday night. This morning it rose to 25,605 before slipping to 25,528 and recovering slightly. The trend suggests a negative opening for domestic benchmarks.
On the ADR front in New York, Infosys gained 3.23 percent and held steady later. Wipro rose 2.27 percent but slipped 1.77 percent in subsequent trade.
Indian equities swung sharply on Thursday. After opening strong, benchmarks slipped into losses before partial recovery in late trade amid global uncertainty and AI-related worries.
Sectoral trends:
Auto, pharma, healthcare, oil and defence outperformed
IT ended with marginal gains
Foreign portfolio investors were net sellers of ₹3,465.99 crore in the cash market, while domestic institutions bought ₹5,031.57 crore.
Despite better-than-expected quarterly numbers, Nvidia fell 5.49 percent. Reports that it has paused a planned $100 billion investment in OpenAI unsettled investors.
Other chip makers including AMD, Broadcom and TSMC dropped over 3 percent. Cyber security firm Zscaler declined 10 percent, while Salesforce lost around 3 percent.
Media stocks were active after Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to acquire Paramount at $31 per share. Netflix, which exited the race, jumped 10 percent.
US indices closed mixed:
Dow Jones up 0.03 percent
S&P 500 down 0.54 percent
Nasdaq down 1.18 percent
US futures remain lower this morning.
Nikkei 225 down about 1.1 percent
Kospi down around 1.1 percent
Hang Seng Index marginally higher
Chinese indices opened about 0.5 percent lower
Gold failed to sustain above $5,200; closed at $5,185.90 an ounce
Kerala 22-carat gold fell ₹640 to ₹1,18,080 per sovereign
Brent crude closed at $70.91 per barrel; easing further this morning
Dollar index at 97.78; rupee closed at ₹90.91, but may weaken towards ₹91.02 in offshore trade
Bank of America expects gold to reach $6,000 this year, while JPMorgan has set a year-end target of $6,300.
Cryptocurrencies retreated again:
Bitcoin below $67,200
Ethereum near $2,020
(February 26, 2026)
Sensex: 82,248.61 (-0.03%)
Nifty 50: 25,496.55 (+0.06%)
Bank Nifty: 61,187.70 (+0.24%)
Mid cap 100: 59,798.15 (+0.66%)
Small cap 100: 17,117.65 (-0.01%)
Dow Jones: 49,499.20 (+0.03%)
S&P 500: 6,908.86 (-0.54%)
Nasdaq: 22,878.38 (-1.18%)
Dollar (₹): 90.91 (-0.04)
Gold (ounce): $5,185.90 (+$19.80)
Gold (sovereign): ₹1,18,080 (-₹640)
Brent crude: $70.91 (+$0.06)