Indian Shares Dip Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Crude Oil Volatility

Indian shares opened lower on Friday, with the BSE Sensex down 0.2 percent at 85,200 points and the NSE Nifty slipping 0.2 percent to 26,085 points. The decline came despite positive cues from global markets, as investors remained cautious amid escalating geopolitical tensions and surging crude oil prices. Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, and Sun Pharma each fell around 1 percent during the session. The market's subdued performance was further influenced by continued foreign institutional investor (FII) selling. IndusInd Bank saw its shares decline after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) launched an inquiry into irregularities in its derivatives trading portfolio. Meanwhile, some stocks gained traction on favorable news: Vikran Engineering rose 4.4 percent following an EPC contract worth Rs. 459 crore from NTPC Renewable Energy, and KNR Constructions surged over 6 percent after agreeing to divest its stake in four road special purpose vehicles for Rs. 1,543.19 crore. Ola Electric Mobility climbed 3.3 percent after securing government approval for Rs. 366.78 crore in incentives under the PLI scheme. Castrol India advanced 2.6 percent as Motion JVCo, Stonepeak, and CPP Investment Board initiated an open offer to acquire a 26 percent stake in the company. Lenskart Solutions also rose slightly after its Singapore subsidiary approved a KRW 3 billion investment to acquire a 29.24 percent stake in South Korea’s iiNeer Corp.