Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 10, 2026.

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Markets opened in negative territory on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, weighed down by rising crude oil prices and geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, even as the ongoing Q1FY27 earnings season continued to drive stock-specific action.The Nifty 50 opened at 24,575.10, down from its previous close of 24,583.80, and was trading at 24,504.55, a decline of 79.25 points or 0.32 per cent, as of 9.19 am. The Sensex opened at 78,509.77 against its previous close of 78,542.44 and slipped to 78,256.43, down 286.01 points or 0.36 per cent, at the same time.The selloff was broad-based, though technology stocks emerged as relative outperformers. HCL Tech led Nifty 50 gainers, rising 1.43 per cent to ₹1,376.60, followed by Titan at ₹5,158.00, up 1.34 per cent. Tech Mahindra gained 1.12 per cent to ₹1,658.40, TCS added 1.11 per cent to ₹2,452.60, and Wipro rose 0.99 per cent to ₹187.33.On the losing side, IndiGo was the top decliner, falling 2.04 per cent to ₹5,224.50. Bajaj Finance dropped 1.33 per cent to ₹1,087.50, Tata Consumer Products fell 1.08 per cent to ₹1,096.70, Axis Bank slid 0.93 per cent to ₹1,235.70, and Shriram Finance lost 0.88 per cent to ₹1,127.80.The weakness follows a cautious overnight session globally. In the United States, the S&P 500 declined 0.1 per cent to 7,753 and the Nasdaq fell 0.3 per cent to 26,605, snapping a two-week rally that had carried the S&P 500 to a record close near 7,758. Technology shares came under pressure after reports emerged that Nvidia is working with major private equity firms on a financing initiative to mobilise more than $500 billion for AI infrastructure, with Nvidia shares slipping approximately 3 per cent.The central driver of market anxiety remains crude oil. Brent crude surged above $87 per barrel and WTI climbed to $82 per barrel after US President Donald Trump demanded compensation from Iran, dimming prospects of a near-term resolution over the Strait of Hormuz. "WTI crude has climbed back towards the $82 per barrel mark, while Brent is trading above $87, reflecting persistent concerns over disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz," noted Hariselvan Radhakrishnan, Founder and CEO of HST Wealth. "Unless geopolitical clarity emerges, elevated energy prices are likely to keep investors cautious and could cap any meaningful upside in domestic equities."Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, pointed to a meaningful shift in market dynamics despite the headwinds. "A significant pivot in the market is the FIIs turning buyers, encouraged by the better-than-expected Q1 results and stability in the rupee. FIIs are doing a capital rotation away from the 'chip trade' in South Korea and Taiwan, and are compensating for the under ownership in Indian stocks." He also flagged that FIIs are "investing in expensive stocks in sectors such as telecom, renewable energy, capital goods and pharmaceuticals, rather than attractively valued banking majors."PSU banks and defence indices were among the underperformers in Monday's session, declining over 1 per cent, while the capital markets and realty indices rallied over 1 per cent. On the technical side, Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, said "below 24,500/78,300, selling pressure may accelerate," with the market potentially retesting "24,400–24,350/78,000–77,800" on the downside.Asian markets opened mixed. Japan's Nikkei 225 remained shut for the Mountain Day holiday, while South Korea's Kospi fell nearly 1 per cent in early trade.Adding to the week's watchlist, the US July CPI data is due Thursday and is expected to shape Federal Reserve rate expectations. A surprise contraction of 23,000 jobs in July non-farm payrolls has already led traders to pare bets on a September rate hike, with markets now leaning toward the Fed holding steady. The 10-year US Treasury yield stands at 4.71 per cent.On the domestic economic front, Indian e-way bill generation rose 5.98 per cent year-on-year to 139.79 million in July 2026, the second-highest monthly level on record.Key events for the day include Q1 earnings from Manappuram Finance, PI Industries, MRF, Zydus Life, Siemens India, and Bata India, the opening of the Milky Mist Dairy Food IPO, stock splits for JSW Dulux and SP Apparels, AGMs for Bharat Forge and Alembic Pharma, the RBI Governor's address at IBA, and U.S. home sales data.Published on August 11, 2026