Gift Nifty Signals Muted Open for Markets on Friday; Iran Tensions, Ship Seizure Weigh on Sentiment

Mumbai, May 15: Domestic markets will open slightly lower on Friday tracking Gift Nifty which is marginally low at 8.14 am as worries over intensifying geopolitical tensions amid US-Iran conflict continued to weigh on investor sentiment. Iranian forces were seen seizing a ship off the coast of United Arab Emirates and directed towards Iran on Thursday after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed importance of Strait of Hormuz shipping route remaining open.

Gift Nifty traded at 23,674.00 as on 8:14 am on Friday down by 191 points or 0.80 per cent, indicating a soft start for Nifty 50 at home markets open. Contracts for the May 26, 2026 expiration were largely unchanged on Thursday but have since declined alongside Asian markets which opened in the red on Friday morning.

Tensions over Hormuz

Geopolitical tensions continued simmering over Strait of Hormuz after Iran largely closed the shipping route to non-Iranian ships since Feb. 28 when US-Israel opened war on Iran leading to worst global energy supply crunch on record. On another front, India’s goods carrier SV Rama was reportedly sunk off waters of Oman with its destination to UAE with livestock cargo from Africa on Wednesday; however, the Omani coast guard rescued all of the 14 crew members aboard. Iran rejected US’ proposal for talks last week while the US earlier rejected Iran’s offer. Diplomatic efforts were also said to have failed in last week between Iran and Kuwait.

Asian Markets

Asian markets were trading broadly in the red on Friday morning, mirroring the cautious global mood. The Nikkei 225 was down 804.24 points or 1.28 per cent at 61,849.81, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 271.27 points or 1.03 per cent to 26,117.77. Indonesia’s JSX Composite was among the steeper losers, falling 1.98 per cent to 6,723.32, and the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.53 per cent to 4,155.59, reflecting persistent nerves over Middle East supply disruptions.

US Markets

US markets, whose Thursday session has since closed, ended firmly higher on the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 370.26 points or 0.75 per cent to close at 50,063.46, while the S&P 500 gained 56.99 points or 0.77 per cent to settle at 7,501.24. The Nasdaq Composite added 232.88 points or 0.88 per cent to finish at 26,635.22, buoyed by optimism around Trump-Xi talks and hopes for a Hormuz resolution.

Oil Prices

Oil prices edged higher on Friday, with Brent crude futures rising 60 cents or 0.57 per cent to $106.32 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate gained 54 cents or 0.53 per cent to $101.71. Concerns over vessel seizures and continued strait disruptions kept the risk premium elevated, even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed 30 vessels had crossed the Hormuz since Wednesday evening.

Thursday Session

In Thursday’s domestic session, the Sensex surged 789.74 points or 1.06 per cent to close at 75,398.72, while the Nifty climbed 277 points or 1.18 per cent to settle at 23,689.60. The rally was broad-based, led by strong buying in banking, pharma, metal and infrastructure stocks, though IT shares remained under pressure throughout the session. Nifty Pharma jumped 2.74 per cent and Nifty Metal gained 2 per cent, reflecting robust sectoral momentum. IT, however, bucked the trend, with the Nifty IT index falling nearly 2 per cent as global demand concerns and AI-led disruption weighed on heavyweights including Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech and Tech Mahindra.

Source:

• nseindia.com
• https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-war-overshadows-trumps-china-visit-peace-talks-stall-2026-05-14/
• https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/oil-rises-fears-ship-attacks-seizures-persist-2026-05-15/
• https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/asia-pacific/