Indian shares set for positive start as Trump postpones Iran grid strike

Indian shares are likely to open higher on Tuesday, tracking gains in broader Asian peers, after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed the bombing of ​Iran’s power grid, allaying fears of a deeper energy shock.

GIFT Nifty ‌futures were trading at 22,862, as of 7:48 a.m. IST, indicating that the benchmark Nifty 50 may open about 1.6% higher from Monday’s close of 22,512.65.

Trump said on Monday ​that he had ordered the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power ​plants following “productive conversations” with Tehran.

However, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker posted on ⁠social media that no talks had been held with the U.S., contradicting Trump’s announcement.

Asian ​stocks were up 0.7%, while Brent crude oil hovered around $104 per barrel.

“The divergence ​in narratives (between the U.S. and Iran) suggests that while markets are reacting to optimism, underlying geopolitical uncertainty has not fully dissipated,” said Hariprasad K, research analyst and founder at Livelong ​Wealth.

The Nifty 50 slid 2.5% on Monday and is now down 10.6% ​since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran erupted in late February, as soaring oil prices have ‌fanned inflation ⁠worries and clouded India’s growth outlook.

Foreign investors continued their selling streak to a sixteenth consecutive session on Monday, as they offloaded Indian shares worth 104.14 billion rupees ($1.12 billion), as per provisional data.

Foreigners have net sold $10.2 billion worth of ​shares so far in ​March, on course ⁠for their biggest monthly outflow since October 2024.