Indian Shares End Little Changed Amid Mideast Tensions

(RTTNews) - Indian shares ended little changed on Monday after a somewhat choppy session.

A cautious undertone prevailed as the dollar and bond yields ticked higher, and crude oil prices jumped nearly 6 percent, amid uncertainty surrounding the second round of diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran.

The Straits of Hormuz remained closed because of the U.S.'s ongoing blockade of its ports, reviving investor concerns around inflation and interest rates.

Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced delegation to Islamabad, Iran rejected participation in a second round of peace talks, citing Washinton's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the continuing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire.

Tehran's top military command vowed to retaliate after U.S. forces forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran's power plants and bridges unless Iran accepts his terms.

Meanwhile, days after the firing incident on two Indian vessels by the IRGC, the Indian Navy has issued a fresh advisory to Indian-flagged vessels in the Persian Gulf, asking them to stay clear of Larak Island ad transit only when directed by it to ensure safety.

The benchmark BSE Sensex ended the session up 26.76 points at 78,520.30 while the broader NSE Nifty index settled 11.30 points higher at 24,364.85.

The mid-cap and small-cap indexes on the BSE fell 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

The market breadth was weak on the BSE, with 2,565 shares falling while 1,821 shares advanced and 191 shares closed unchanged.

IndiGo, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, Asian Paints, SBI and Trent rallied 1-3 percent while Titan Company, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HCL Technologies, Larsen & Toubro and BEL all fell around 1 percent.