Indian Equities End Lower on Thursday as Middle East Tensions Weigh on Sentiment
Indian benchmark indices closed lower on Thursday after a choppy session, as persistent geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment.The BSE Sensex declined 150.63 points, or 0.2%, to settle at 73,832.55, while the NSE Nifty 50 fell 53.35 points, or also 0.2%, to close at 23,161.60.Markets remained largely range-bound through the day, but selling pressure in technology stocks and lack of buying support from heavyweight counters pulled indices lower in late trade.Escalating conflict in the Middle East, where continued U.S. military strikes on Iran and retaliatory actions across the region, affected market sentiment negatively as hopes of a peace deal faded. Fears of prolonged disruption to key shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz added to investor caution.In corporate developments, Tata Consultancy Services (NSE:TCS, BOM:532540) announced a partnership with Anthropic to accelerate enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence. The collaboration includes the creation of a dedicated unit focused on building industry-specific AI solutions using Anthropic's Claude models.L&T Technology Services (NSE:LTTS, BOM:540115) also entered a strategic partnership with Databricks to develop industrial AI solutions for sectors such as energy, petrochemicals, and heavy industries, combining engineering capabilities with advanced data platforms.