Domestic equity benchmarks plummeted nearly 3 per cent this week on a cautious note amid heightened volatility, as persistent foreign fund outflows and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East kept investors on edge.

The frontline indices saw a fall of 2.9 per cent each. Sensex closed at 78,918.90 against Friday's close of 81,287.19 (February 27), while Nifty settled at 24,450.45 against the previous week’s 25,178.65 closing.

State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Saturday raised the prices of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders, with household cooking gas becoming costlier by Rs 60 and commercial cylinders by Rs 114.5, amid rising global energy prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

India is currently placed in a comfortable position with sufficient stocks of crude oil, petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, and LPG, and the country’s oil companies are sourcing imports from countries outside the Gulf region to make up for the disruption in supplies due to the Iran war.

India is expected to contribute as much as 17 per cent to global real GDP growth in 2026 as it continues to be the world's fastest-growing major economy, according to the latest data compiled by the IMF.

Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) -- the IIT Bombay-backed broad-spectrum technology business incubator -- is selling about 4 lakh shares in the SEDEMAC Mechatronics initial public offering (IPO), according to the filings.

As PhonePe Ltd prepares for its initial public offering (IPO), disclosures in its updated draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) shed light on the massive scale and sophisticated monetisation of its merchant ecosystem.

India Stack Global will facilitate adoption of India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI) by partner nations by showcasing India’s DPI solutions, an official factsheet said on Friday.

Credit card spending in India rose 8.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 2.05 lakh crore in January 2026, driven by momentum in e-commerce transactions, a report showed on Friday.

Gold and silver prices went up on Friday after a mild dip in the previous session, driven by conflict in the Middle East and a softer dollar.

MCX gold April futures gained 0.64 per cent to Rs 1,60,700 per 10 grams on an intra-day basis. Meanwhile MCX silver May futures gained 1.87 per cent to Rs 2,67,100 per kg.

Earlier in the day, silver prices on MCX had jumped 2.6 per cent while gold advanced over 1 per cent followed by profit booking.

The Indian equity markets posted losses in early trade on Friday tracking global weakness, crude oil prices amid tensions in the Middle East.

As of 9.28 am, Sensex lost 365 points, or 0.46 per cent, to reach 79,650 and Nifty dipped 103 points, or 0.42 per cent to reach 24,662.

Indian stock markets ended sharply higher on Thursday, with benchmark indices logging their best session in over a month as easing geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran boosted investor confidence.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday soft-launched four digital tools and formally unveiled the mascots -- "Pragati" (female) and "Vikas" (male) -- for the upcoming Census-2027.

Escalating conflict in the Middle East could only cause minimal rupee depreciation and disruption in growth while defence stocks and precious metals could rally, a report said on Thursday.

Gold and silver prices surged significantly on Thursday amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, pushing investors toward safe‑haven assets.

MCX gold April futures gained 0.31 per cent to Rs 1,62,018 per 10 grams on an intra-day basis. Meanwhile MCX silver May futures gained 1.50 per cent to Rs 2,69,551 per kg.

Earlier in the day silver prices on MCX had jumped 3.3 per cent while gold advanced over 1 per cent but later dipped over mild profit booking.

Spot silver jumped 1.2 per cent to $84.43 per ounce, while spot gold climbed 0.8 per cent to $5,176.69 per ounce.

Amid escalating Middle East tensions, crude oil prices went up more than 2 per cent on Thursday over supply constraints as Strait of Hormuz was closed by Iran.

The Indian equity markets gained moderately in early trade on Thursday, tracking gains in Asian peers despite rising tensions in the Middle East.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex gained 246 points, or 0.31 per cent, to reach 79,362 and Nifty added 84 points, or 0.35 per cent, at 24,565.

India’s services sector continued to expand at a healthy pace in February, even as growth in new orders slowed amid rising competition, according to the latest data from the HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index.

The Indian rupee breached a new record low on Wednesday, crossing Rs 92 per dollar as oil prices surged amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The domestic currency was trading at Rs 92.38 to the dollar, up 35 paise or 0.38 per cent from the previous session.

Indian stock markets may look weak on the surface, but the current phase offers a strong buying opportunity for long-term investors, a report said on Wednesday.

The global brokerage Morgan Stanley believed that structural fundamentals of the Indian economy remain intact and earnings growth is set to improve further in 2026, even as markets struggle with near-term volatility.

Longer‑tenor government securities are looking attractive with much of the "uncertainty already priced in," and the risk–reward balance in Indian markets is better due to strong domestic growth, a report said on Wednesday.

Gold and silver prices climbed over 1 per cent on Wednesday amid escalating conflict between the US‑Israeli combine and Iran, driving safe haven demand.

MCX gold April futures gained 1.04 per cent to Rs 1,62,790 per 10 grams around 11.30 am on an intraday basis. Meanwhile MCX silver May futures gained 1.84 per cent to Rs 2,70,200 per kg.

The Indian equity markets opened sharply lower on Wednesday, tracking weak global cues and aggressive FII short positioning in index futures amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

India is in a reasonably comfortable position as far as crude oil, LPG and LNG are concerned, with a stock of 25 days of reserve for crude and 25 days of products, including the quantity that is in transit on ships headed for the country’s ports, according to government sources.

India imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil requirement, of which around 50 per cent is supplied by Middle Eastern countries through the Strait of Hormuz, flows from which has been disrupted following the Iran war.

In a major achievement, the Unique Identification Authority of India has covered more than 1.03 lakh schools across the country to help students complete their mandatory biometric update (MBU) in Aadhaar easily within their school campuses, Ministry of Electronics & IT said on Tuesday.

So far, around 1.2 crore school children have completed their biometric updates under this large-scale drive.

India’s cleantech industry -- which includes products, services and processes -- emerged as one of the country’s fastest-scaling talent markets, with hiring rising 56.6 per cent over the past two years, a report said on Tuesday.

Gold prices climbed for a fifth straight session in the global markets on Tuesday amid escalating conflict in the Middle East and a spike in energy prices.

MCX gold April futures gained 2.53 per cent to Rs 1,66,199 per 10 grams on Monday, while MCX silver May futures eased 0.90 per cent to Rs 2,80,090 per kg.

India’s Multi Commodity Exchange will remain closed for the first half of trading on Tuesday for Holi, with evening trading resuming at 5 pm.

The Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange will remain closed on Tuesday on account of the Holi festival.

Trading in equities, equity derivatives, securities lending and borrowing and interest rate derivatives will be suspended for the day, exchanges said on Tuesday. Commodity derivatives will be closed in the morning and open for the evening session.

Indian stock markets closed sharply lower on Monday as rising tensions between the US and Iran dampened investor sentiment and triggered selling across sectors.

India’s active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) market, currently valued at about $15–16 billion, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5–7 per cent in FY27 and FY28, a report said on Monday.

The manufacturing PMI in India rose from 55.4 in January to a four-month high of 56.9 in February, as a substantial improvement in domestic demand for Indian goods fuelled new order intakes and spurred the greatest upturn in production volumes for four months, S&P Global data showed on Monday.

 A Morgan Stanley report on Monday said it expects the growth impulse to remain strong in India, and see upside to its growth forecast of 6.5 per cent for FY27, driven by continued tailwinds for both domestic and external demand.

In a note, the global brokerage said it remains constructive on India’s growth outlook for FY27.

Gold and silver prices jumped over 3 per cent on Monday, after the US-Iran war intensified amid Israeli strikes on Iran and the US bases in the Gulf, reinforcing safe-haven demand.

Global crude oil prices went up more than 7 per cent on Monday as war in West Asia escalated, following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran.

Brent crude futures prices surged to $82.37, the highest since January 2025. Brent crude oil price rallied 7.60 per cent to $78.41 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rallied 7.19 per cent to $71.86.

The Indian equity markets opened the week sharply lower on Monday, tracking a broad risk-off sentiment across global markets due to the US, Israel and Iran war.