India’s BSE Sensex Index dropped nearly 2% to below 71,700 on Thursday, after a strong 1.8% gain in the previous session, as sentiment weakened across Asian markets following US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the Iran conflict. During his televised speech, Trump said Washington’s “core strategic objectives” in the war were nearing completion but stopped short of providing a clear timeline for its end, instead warning that the US could strike Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks. The lack of a clear de-escalation path reignited geopolitical concerns, driving crude oil prices higher and weighing on regional equities. Nearly all sectors declined, led by financials and banking stocks. Notable losses were seen from HDFC Bank (-1.1%), Axis Bank (-2.7%), Bajaj Finance (-2.2%), and Shriram Finance (-3.4%). On the macro side, markets await final figures for manufacturing PMI to gauge the country’ s economic health.
