Indian stock markets fell sharply on Thursday, with the Sensex dropping 583 points and the Nifty slipping below the 24,000 mark, both indices down over 0.7%. The sell-off was broad-based, hitting investor sentiment across sectors. Three forces drove the drop. Oil prices surged, raising the cost outlook for India's import-heavy economy. The rupee hit a record low against the dollar, which amplifies import costs and squeezes corporate margins, especially for energy and manufacturing firms. These two pressures often reinforce each other: a weaker rupee makes oil imports more expensive in local currency terms, widening the trade deficit. A record-low rupee also signals tighter conditions for foreign investors holding Indian assets, currency losses reduce their effective returns, which can trigger outflows and add more selling pressure on equities. Watch whether the Reserve Bank of India steps in to stabilise the rupee, and whether oil prices ease. Either move would give markets room to recover. Until then, import-sensitive sectors face the most direct pressure.
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.
