Sensex and Nifty decline in early trade on surging crude oil prices
Indian stock indices Sensex and Nifty fell in early trading as surging crude oil prices and regional conflict in the Middle East dampened investor sentiment. Major stocks including Infosys and HDFC Bank led the decline, reflecting broader market anxiety.
Why it matters
Market volatility driven by geopolitical instability highlights the vulnerability of emerging markets to global energy supply shocks.
Market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty edged lower in early deals on Thursday (July 23, 2026) due to surging crude oil prices amid escalating tensions in the West Asia. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 230.95 points to 76,521.02 during initial trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dipped 57.15 points to 23,937.
From the Sensex pack, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, NTPC and Reliance Industries were among the laggards. Trent and Eternal were the only winners from the pack. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, quoted 2.27% higher at $96.20 per barrel. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹819.20 crore on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) after a day's breather, according to exchange data.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in