India's stock market opened lower today, poised for its biggest monthly loss in six years due to a growing Iran war that has dampened investor risk appetite.
The Nifty 50 plummeted 1.18% to 22,549.65 points, while the BSE Sensex shed 1.38% to 72,565.22 as of 9:15 am.
All 16 major sectors logged losses at the open, with small-caps and mid-caps dropping 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively.
Asian stocks declined 1.9%, and Brent crude hovered around $114 per barrel, heading for a record monthly rise amid the escalating turmoil.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered its fifth week, spreading across the Middle East, with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launching attacks on Israel over the weekend.
The Nifty 50 and Sensex have lost about 10.5% each in March, heading for their worst month since March 2020, due to elevated crude prices and record monthly foreign outflows worth about $12.3 billion.
