Indian equity markets finally found their footing on Tuesday, snapping a bruising four-session losing streak to close firmly in the green. The BSE Sensex climbed 382.50 points to settle at 74,649.84, while the NSE Nifty 50 gained 100.95 points to close at 23,483.55, a welcome reversal after the benchmarks had shed nearly 3 per cent over the previous four sessions.
The trigger for Tuesday's recovery was a moderation in crude oil prices, which fell over 1.6 per cent to around $93.45 per barrel after US President Donald Trump indicated that negotiations with Iran were still ongoing and that he expected a deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within the week.
The prospect of easing tensions in West Asia, where the US-Iran conflict has effectively choked off a fifth of global oil and gas flows since the war began, offered investors a reason to step back into equities after days of selling.
India equity market cap slips
Despite the recovery, all is not hunky dory. A Reuters analysis showed India's equity market capitalisation had slipped to seventh place globally, overtaken by South Korea, whose chip-heavy market has rallied sharply on AI demand.
India's combined NSE market capitalisation stood at $4.85 trillion against South Korea's $5.01 trillion. Foreign investors have now pulled out $26.4 billion from Indian equities in 2026 alone, already surpassing the previous full-year record of $18.91 billion set in 2025.
India's weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index has also shrunk to 12.3 per cent, down from a peak of 21 per cent in September 2024.
With the RBI's policy decision due on Friday and the Iran situation still unresolved, the road ahead for Indian markets remains uncertain.
