The domestic equity benchmarks witnessed sharp losses in afternoon trade as sentiment remained weak due to FII selling, rising crude oil prices, escalating geopolitical tensions as the Middle East conflict entered its 14th day. Brent crude prices crossed the $100 per barrel mark, further weighing on market sentiment. The Nifty 50 index slipped below the 23,200 level.
All the sectoral indices traded in red with metal, auto and PSU bank shares leading the fall.
At 13:25 IST the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 1478.07 points or 1.94% to 74,559.56. The Nifty 50 index fell 491.85 points or 2.08% to 23,153.50.
The broader market underperformed the frontline indices. The BSE 150 MidCap Index fell 2.60% and the BSE 250 SmallCap Index dropped 2.78%.
The market breadth was weak. On the BSE 852 shares rose and 3,264 shares fell. A total of 173 shares were unchanged.
The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, jumped 4.49% to 22.49.
In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2026 settlement jumped $1.55 or 1.54% to $102.81 a barrel.
Gainers & Losers:
Among the Nifty 50 constituents, Tata Consumer Products (up 2.01%), Hindustan Unilever (up 1.23%), and Bharti Airtel (up 1.23%), were the top gainers.
Meanwhile, Larsen & Toubro (down 6.47%), Hindalco Industries (down 5.65%), Tata Steel (down 4.77%), Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) (down 4.64%) and Eicher Motors (down 4.01%) were the top losers.
IPO Update:
The initial public offer (IPO) of Innovision received bids for 19,16,190 shares as against 61,32,433 shares on offer, according to stock exchange data at 13:15 IST on Friday (13 March 2026). The issue was subscribed 0.30 times.
The issue opened for bidding on 10 March 2026 and earlier closing date was 12 March 2026 and now it is 17 March 2026. The price band of the IPO is fixed between Rs 521 and 548 per share.
Stocks in Spotlight:
Shaily Engineering Plastics gained1.13% after Smallcap World Fund Inc. acquired an additional stake in the company through bulk deals on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
Godrej Properties declined 2.22%. The company said that it has acquired a 44-acre land parcel in Coimbatore through an outright purchase, for developing a premium plotted residential project with a developable potential of 1.1 million square feet.
United Breweries fell 1.82% after the company disclosed that it has received a GST demand order from the Office of the Commissioner of CGST & Central Excise, Raigad–Navi Mumbai. The order involves a total demand of about Rs 31.88 crore, including GST of Rs 15.94 crore and an equivalent penalty. The dispute relates to the taxability of the assignment of leasehold land in Navi Mumbai and a classification issue concerning non-alcoholic beverages.
Balaji Amines declined 3.31% after the company announced that the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), a key input used for the production of Ammonia, has been adversely affected due to ongoing war in the Middle East.
As a result, the company is currently experiencing significant logistics disruptions in the procurement of Ammonia, which is one of the key raw materials used in the manufacture of Methylamines, Ethylamines and their derivatives. The situation has arisen due to the non-availability of Ammonia. Owing to this, some of the company’s plants are presently non-operational.
Avenue Supermarts fell 2.04% after the company announced the opening of two new stores in Bavdhan, Pune in Maharashtra and Chilakaluripeta in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh. With these additions, the total number of stores operated by the company has increased to 463.
Ramky Infrastructure soared 3.25% after it has secured a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) contract from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). The contract is for the development, operation, and maintenance of the High-Tech Pharmaceutical Park in Dighi Port Industrial Area, Mangaon and Roha Taluk, Raigad District, on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
Global Markets:
European and Asian market traded lower Friday as oil prices soared on renewed fears that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could further crimp energy supplies, stoking fears of a global economic downturn.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a late Thursday speech that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil trade, should remain shut and that Tehran could open other fronts in the war if the conflict persists.
International benchmark Brent crude jumped 9.22% to close at $100.46 per barrel on Thursday. It was the first time Brent closed above $100 since August 2022. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 9.72% to settle at $95.73.
Oil prices are likely to remain elevated in the near term as investors price in the risk of a prolonged Middle East conflict, media report said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to downplay the rise in oil prices, saying that the U.S., as the world’s largest oil producer, stands to benefit from higher oil prices, while stressing that his priority would be blocking Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday night that the U.S. would temporarily allow the purchase of sanctioned Russian crude that is already at sea to stabilize energy markets, while framing the price spike as a "temporary disruption.”
Overnight in the U.S., major stock indexes notched closing lows for 2026, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling nearly 740 points to settle below 47,000 for the first time this year.
The S&P 500 shed 1.5% to end the session at 6,672.62, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.8% to close at 22,311.98.