Stock markets tumble in early trade on West Asia conflict, foreign fund outflows

Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade on Friday (March 6, 2026) after a day’s breather amid persistent geopolitical conflict in West Asia and relentless foreign fund outflows.

Weakness in the U.S. equities and subdued trend in Asian markets also dampened sentiments.

The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 572.43 points to 79,443.47 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 178.75 points to 24,587.15.

From the Sensex pack, ICICI Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Larsen & Toubro, HDFC Bank, UltraTech Cement and Tata Steel were among the major laggards.

HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Bharat Electronics were among the gainers.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dropped 1.17% to $84.41 per barrel.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi traded over 1% lower, while Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were quoting higher.

The U.S. market ended lower on Thursday.

“Persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to keep crude oil prices elevated, heightening concerns over renewed global inflationary pressures and the possibility of tighter monetary policy conditions ahead.

“As a result, global investor sentiment remains cautious, with market participants expected to maintain a measured and risk-averse stance in the near term,” Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹3,752.52 crore on Thursday (March 5), while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth Rs 5,153.37 crore, according to exchange data.k.