India’s equity benchmarks end little changed after India strikes Pakistan

MUMBAI: India’s equity benchmarks ended little changed on Wednesday, coming off early losses, as rising geopolitical tension between India and Pakistan offset expectations of easing global trade tensions.

India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies.

India said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some of them linked to an attack by Islamist militants on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month.

The benchmark Nifty 50 and Sensex closed 0.1% higher each at 24,414.4 and 80,746.78, respectively, on the day. The 50-stock index had opened 0.6% lower, while the Sensex had slipped 0.9% at open.