Indian equity benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty, opened sharply lower on Friday, March 13, 2026, as worries about the US-Israel-Iran war sent oil prices back to USD 100 per barrel and stocks sinking worldwide. While the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 590.2 points or 0.77 per cent to start the session at 75,444.22, the Nifty shed 176.65 points to open at 23,462.50. In the last trading session, the Sensex closed at 76,034.42 and the Nifty 50 at 23,639.15. Similarly, the broader indices traded in the red in the opening session. While the BSE Midcap Select Index fell 93.94 points, or 0.60 per cent, in the early trading session, the BSE Smallcap Select Index was down by 41.91 points or 0.57 per cent, to trade at 7,343.81.
From the Sensex pack, Power Grid, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, NTPC and Sun Pharma were among the gainers with Power Grid leading the pack by gaining 1.20 per cent in the early trade. On the other hand, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Steel, Indigo, UltraTech Cement and BEL were in the red, with L&T the biggest loser, falling 2.61 per cent.
In early trade, market breadth was negative, with 1,820 stocks advancing against 552 stocks declining on the NSE. 76 stocks remained unchanged.
“For day traders, 23850/76700 would act as a trend decider level. Below this, the market could slip to 23500-23350-23200/75700-75300-74900. On the flip side, above 23850/76700, a pullback move could extend to 24000-24100/77000-77500,” said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities.
What did Gift Nifty indicate?
Gift Nifty, an early indicator for the Nifty 50, indicated a negative opening with a fall of 211.5 points at 23,505.50, compared to the previous close of 23,717. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) extended their selling streak for the tenth consecutive session and offloaded equities worth Rs 7,049.87 crore on March 12, 2026. However, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) provided strong support by purchasing equities of Rs 7,449.77 crore.
Asian Markets Today
Asian stocks slumped on Friday, tracking Wall Street losses, as the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil hovered above USD 100. While Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 762.96 points or 1.40 per cent to trade at 53,690, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down by 139.76 points. Similarly, South Korea’s Kospi traded in the red with a fall of 92.50 points at the time of writing the report. Shanghai’s SSE Composite index was down by 8.96 points or 0.22 per cent.
