NIFTY50, SENSEX today: Wall Street cues, FII activity, key things to know before markets open on March 30

The Indian equity benchmarks are set to open lower on Monday, March 30, as indicated by GIFT NIFTY futures. NIFTY futures at GIFT City in Ahmedabad dropped 231 points or 1.06% to 22,561 amid weak cues from other Asian markets.

The Indian benchmark indices, SENSEX and NIFTY50, closed in negative territory on Friday, March 27, amid mixed global cues and uncertainty over the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran.

Furthermore, investor sentiment was also impacted by the rupee falling to an all-time low of 94.82 (provisional) against the US dollar, along with elevated oil prices on March 27.

The S&P BSE SENSEX closed 1,690.23 points, or 2.25% lower at 73,583.22. Meanwhile, NSE’s NIFTY50 ended at 22,819.60, reflecting a 486.85-point, or 2.09% decline on Friday.

Asian markets

Asian markets were trading sharply lower on Monday as geopolitical tensions escalated after reports suggested that United States President Donald Trump raised an idea that American forces could seize Iran's Kharg island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.

The comment by Trump came in an interview published early Monday by The Financial Times.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the newspaper. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”

Asked about Iranian defences there, he said: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

Following this development equity markets in Asia dropped while crude oil price rose sharply higher. Brent Crude advanced as much as 3.5% to hit an intraday high of $109 per barrel.

Japan's Nikkei crashed 4.6%, South Korea's KOSPI fell 4%, China's Shanghai Composite declined 0.7% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.92%.

Wall Street update

US stocks ended lower on Friday as Wall Street finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest losing streak in nearly four years.

Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.73%, S&P 500 index fell 1.67% and tech heavy Nasdaq dropped 2.15%.

FII/DII activity

Foreign institutional investors sold shares worth ₹4,367 crore on Friday while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth ₹3,566 crore, data from the National Stock Exchange showed.

The FIIs have so far this month sold shares worth ₹1,13,810 crore compared with shares worth ₹22,615 bought by them in February, according to the data from National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).

Stocks to watch

In a regulatory filing dated Saturday, the company stated that it has received a letter of acceptance (LOA) from Narmada Water Resources Water Supply & Kalpasar Department, Government of Gujarat.

Under the LoA, the Bhopal-based firm will be required to construct the flood protection embankment on the Narmada River in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.

The project, done on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis, is expected to be completed in 24 months, it added.

The development boosts domestic coal output for power generation, supporting India's energy security amid rising demand, it said.

“Subsequent to the commencement of overburden removal on December 19, 2025, the Pachwara South Open Cast Project successfully commenced coal production on March 29, 2026,” the NLC said in the filing to BSE.

In a social media post, Agarwal said Vedanta was "declared the highest bidder publicly" to acquire Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) through the insolvency process.

Attaching a source-based media report about the price opening meeting of lenders of the insolvent infrastructure company on September 5, Agarwal said, "It was a transparent process. We were informed in writing that we had won.

The financial services company does not have any immediate plan to get into the unsecured and consumer durable lending businesses.

"We hope to start insurance manufacturing in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals," its chief executive and managing director Hitesh Sethia told PTI recently.

Trade setup

The NIFTY50 index gave up all the major gains of previous two trading sessions on Friday by closing below 23,000. Scepticism grew around negotiation talks between the US and Iran amid the ongoing conflict.

On the hourly charts, the index closed below the 20 and 50 EMA levels, reversing the bullish sentiment in the markets. On the long-term charts, the recent 52-week low of 22,471 remains the next crucial support level. A closing below that may trigger further selling towards 22,000 and the upside remains capped at 23,000 levels.

A daily close above the 23,450 zone would be the first sign of the index shifting towards a higher high, higher low structure. Until this level is reclaimed on a closing basis, the trend is likely to remain sell-on-rise.

A close below this zone, which aligns with the immediate swing low of March 23, would signal emerging weakness. In that case, the next key support levels come in at 21,900 and 21,700. This implies a potential downside of up to 5% from the March 27 closing level. If the index drifts into this zone, the drawdown from the all-time high (January 5) would widen to over 17%. At that stage, traders should avoid initiating fresh short positions, as the risk-reward equation becomes unfavourable.