GIFT Nifty dropped 1% to 24,470 in early trade, signaling a negative open for the Nifty 50 as renewed US-Iran tensions pushed Brent crude sharply higher toward $97 a barrel. The move reflects a classic risk-off transmission: geopolitical escalation in a major oil-producing region feeds directly into energy price spikes, which in turn compress equity sentiment across import-dependent economies like India. India sources a significant share of its crude from the Middle East, making it acutely sensitive to supply-disruption pricing. A sustained Brent crude level near $97 would widen India's current account deficit, pressure the rupee, and lift inflation expectations, all of which tighten the policy environment for the Reserve Bank of India. Traders will be watching whether the tension escalates further or stabilizes, as the directional move in Nifty 50 at open will depend heavily on where crude settles through the Asian session.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
