Indian Markets Closed For Mahashivratri

(RTTNews) - Indian markets remain closed today in observance of Mahashivratri.

Benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty ended on a flat note Tuesday after a sharp decline over the last five trading sessions.

The rupee fell by 51 paise to close at 87.2 per U.S. dollar, marking its sharpest decline in three weeks, driven by importer hedging and dollar demand linked to the expiry of non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers of shares worth Rs 3,529 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors were net buyers of shares worth approximately Rs 3,031 crore, as per provisional data.

Asian markets were mixed this morning as Nvidia earnings loomed and weak U.S. data fueled bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, with markets now pricing more than two-quarter-point reductions by Fed in 2025.

The yen firmed up on speculation that the Bank of Japan will continue on its rate hike path.

Copper prices climbed as U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an investigation of copper imports in what is a first step toward potential tariffs on the metal.

The U.S. dollar sagged near an 11-week low as investors await the Fed's preferred inflation gauge this week, which is expected to cool to the slowest pace since June.

Oil edged up slightly but hovered near two-month lows on demand concerns. Gold was marginally lower after falling sharply to its lowest level in over a week on Tuesday.

On Wall Street, the main indexes touched a more than four-month low overnight while the yield on the two-year note hit its lowest since November as weak economic data added to uncertainty over Trump administration policies.

Data showed consumer confidence deteriorated in February at its fastest pace in three-and-a-half years and average 12-month inflation expectations surged, stirring fresh concerns about the state of the economy.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.4 percent and the S&P 500 dipped half a percent to end lower for the fourth straight session while the narrower Dow rose 0.4 percent.

European stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as investors reacted to Trump's tariff threats and weak economic data from the U.S. and Germany.

The pan European STOXX 600 gained 0.2 percent. The German DAX finished marginally lower and France's CAC 40 shed half a percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up by 0.1 percent.