Indian equities recorded their worst monthly performance since the Covid pandemic, with the benchmark Nifty recording its second sharpest decline in a decade as geopolitical tensions and sustained foreign investor selling weigh heavily on sentiment. In March 2020, Nifty fell around 23%, driven by fears of the pandemic, while the March 2026 month saw a fall of nearly 8%. The most worrying aspect is that we have barely reached the halfway point of the month.
The current slide also marks the second-worst monthly fall for the Nifty in the last ten years, underlining the intensity of the sell-off that has gripped Dalal Street.
The sharp correction has unfolded over the past week as escalating conflict in West Asia, particularly the ongoing Iran war, triggered a surge in crude oil prices and heightened global risk aversion. India, which imports nearly 85% of its crude oil requirements, remains particularly sensitive to any disruption in Middle East supply chains.
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With Brent crude hovering near $100 per barrel, concerns have grown around the impact on inflation, corporate margins and the rupee. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a large portion of India’s oil imports pass, has emerged as a key geopolitical flashpoint as the conflict intensifies.
The market fall has also been aggravated by heavy foreign institutional investor selling. FIIs have already sold nearly Rs 40,000 crore worth of Indian equities so far this month, putting sustained pressure on largecap stocks and dragging benchmark indices lower.
The BSE Sensex is on track to close the current week down by nearly 4,000 points, while the Nifty has dropped about 5% in just five trading sessions. The sell-off has been widespread, including in the broader market. Just on Friday, the Nifty small and midcap indices fell close to 3%.Beyond the Iran conflict, analysts say concerns around global growth and sector-specific headwinds have also contributed to the market weakness. The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence globally has raised questions about the near-term outlook for India’s IT services sector, which has seen underperformance in recent months as investors reassess demand visibility.
Fundamentals remain strong
Despite the current volatility, fund managers say the underlying fundamentals of the Indian economy remain intact. According to Sorbh Gupta, Head-Equity at Bajaj Finserv AMC, corporate earnings have shown strong momentum over the past few quarters, providing a more supportive foundation for markets.
Recent results indicate a broad-based recovery in profitability across sectors. Profit growth for the Nifty 500 companies rose about 16% year-on-year in Q3FY26, marking the strongest earnings expansion in eight quarters.
Gupta noted that improving earnings visibility could help stabilise equities once the current wave of global uncertainty subsides.
Domestic macroeconomic indicators have also shown signs of improvement. Credit growth has returned to double-digit levels, suggesting stronger demand for loans and improving liquidity conditions. Consumption trends have begun to recover following tax and policy support, while earlier rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India have helped lower borrowing costs for both companies and consumers.
Over the longer term, markets have historically absorbed geopolitical shocks relatively quickly. Axis Mutual Fund pointed out that Indian equities have navigated multiple global crises over the past decade — from regional conflicts to wars and economic disruptions — with only temporary drawdowns before fundamentals reasserted themselves.
However, the near-term outlook remains closely tied to geopolitical developments.
If tensions in the Middle East escalate further, crude oil prices could remain elevated, potentially triggering higher inflation, pressure on the rupee and margin compression for sectors such as aviation, chemicals, paints and oil marketing companies.
Also read: $100 crude gives Rs 20 lakh crore shock to Nifty bulls this week. Best time to buy the fear?
India’s strong foreign exchange reserves and strategic petroleum reserves offer some cushion against external shocks, but markets are likely to remain volatile as investors track developments in the region, analysts say.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)
