Sensex Falls Over 1,000 Points, Nifty Drops 1.27% Amid Rising West Asia Tensions
Indian stock markets declined sharply on March 6, 2026, with Sensex falling over 1,097 points and Nifty dropping 315 points as rising crude oil prices and West Asia tensions weighed on investor sentiment.
Prasanth Subramani
India’s benchmark stock market indices Sensex and Nifty witnessed a sharp decline on Friday (March 6, 2026) after a brief recovery in the previous session, as escalating tensions in West Asia pushed crude oil prices higher.
The 30-share BSE Sensex plunged 1,097 points (1.37%) to close at 78,918.90. During the trading session, the index had dropped as much as 1,203.72 points (1.50%), touching 78,812.18.
Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty declined 315.45 points (1.27%) to end the day at 24,450.45.
Major Gainers and Losers
Among the Sensex stocks, major losers included Eternal, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, UltraTech Cement, HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finserv, and Larsen & Toubro.
However, some stocks managed to post gains, including Bharat Electronics, Reliance Industries, Sun Pharma, NTPC, Infosys, and HCL Tech.
Crude Oil Prices Surge
Global oil benchmark Brent crude rose 2.53% to $87.57 per barrel, driven by supply concerns amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Market experts say that rising geopolitical tensions, particularly between the United States and Iran, have disrupted oil and gas supplies from the region, putting pressure on global markets.
According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Investments Ltd, the surge in crude oil prices could negatively impact investor sentiment and may affect India’s twin deficits, inflation outlook, and the Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy stance.
Global Market Trends
In Asian markets, indices such as South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed higher.
However, European markets were trading in negative territory, while U.S. markets ended lower on Thursday.
Institutional Investor Activity
According to exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth ₹3,752.52 crore on March 5, 2026. In contrast, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth ₹5,153.37 crore.
Previous Session Performance
In the previous trading session on March 5, the markets had witnessed a strong rebound. The Sensex gained 899.71 points (1.14%) to close at 80,015.90, while the Nifty rose 285.40 points (1.17%) to settle at 24,765.90, ending a short losing streak.
