Stock markets plunge as West Asia conflict, crude oil prices continue to dent sentiment

 Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty plummeted on Monday (March 23, 2026), in tandem with an extremely weak trend in global markets as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of a slowdown.

Rising crude oil prices due to the war, which has entered its fourth week, relentless foreign fund outflows and weakness in the rupee have also made investors risk-averse.