Trump Tariffs, MSCI Rejig, Crude Oil, Q1 Results Among Other Market Cues To Watch Today

Equity benchmarks ended August 7's session with marginal gains, supported by a recovery in the last-leg of trade. Even though there are growing concerns over trade tensions between the U.S. and India, the markets managed to stay positive.

The Sensex rose 79.27 points or 0.10 per cent to settle at 80,623.26, while the Nifty 50 closed 21.95 points or 0.09 per cent higher at 24,596.15.

Foreign investors continued to sell Indian stocks for the 14th day in a row. According to data from National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth around Rs 4,453 crore in the previous session.

No Trade Talks With India, Says Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that the US will not hold any trade talks with India until the ongoing tariff issue is resolved. Earlier, a team of US officials were expected to visit India on August 25 to continue trade talks. However now, that meeting seems unlikely to happen.

On August 6, 2025, Trump signed an executive order imposing additional 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India, taking the total tariff to 50 per cent. The initial 25 per cent tariff will begin from August 7, and the new additional levy will start after August 27.

MSCI Rejig

Global index provider MSCI has made changes to its India indices as part of its latest review, announced on August 8.

Swiggy, Vishal Mega Mart, Waaree Energies India and Hitachi Energy India shares have been included in the MSCI India Index, which is part of the MSCI Global Standard Index. Sona BLW Precision Forgings and Thermax have been removed from this index. Within the same index, CG Power’s weightage has been increased.

These changes, which will come into effect after market close on August 26, 2025 are expected to influence stock prices, as index funds and other passive investors may adjust their portfolios to align with the updated MSCI index list.

Q1 Results Today

A total of 243 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are scheduled to announce their quarterly results for the period ended June 30, 2025 (Q1 FY26) on August 8, 2025.

Some of the well-known names that will report their earnings are State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Motors, Grasim Industries, Voltas, Siemens India, Info Edge (Naukri), Lemon Tree Hotels, Equitas Small Finance Bank, Manappuram Finance, Garden Reach Shipbuilders, and JK Tyre & Industries, among others.

Investors will also be closely watching the earnings released by companies post-market hours on August 7.

Crude Oil Prices

Crude oil prices fell to their lowest levels since early June on August 7 on hopes of Russia-Ukraine ceasefire and as traders remained concerned about the impact of new US tariffs and how they could affect Russian oil supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Trump soon to find a way to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has warned that he will impose new sanctions on Russia and any country that continues to buy Russian exports starting August 8, unless Putin agrees to stop the war, which has been going on for three and a half years.

The US imposed higher tariffs on several of its trading partners, which went into effect on August 7. This raised fears of slower global economic growth, which could reduce demand for oil.

As of 9:30 AM, Brent Crude Futures was down by 4 cents, or 0.06 per cent, at $66.39 per barrel. The WTI Crude Futures was trading lower by 6 cents, or 0.09 per cent, at $63.82 per barrel.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has now fallen for six days in a row, its longest losing streak since December 2023. According to a Reuters report, if prices drop further on August 8, it would be the longest losing streak since August 2021.

US Markets

Overnight on August 7, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed at a record level, even as broader US markets ended on a mixed note.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 224.48 points or 0.51 per cent to finish at 43,968.64, while the S&P 500 slipped 5.06 points or 0.08 per cent to 6,340.00. The Nasdaq Composite gained 73.27 points or 0.35 per cent to close at a record high of 21,242.70.

Asian Markets

Asian stock markets traded mixed in early trade on August 8, as uncertainty over US reciprocal tariffs kept investors cautious, even after the tariffs took effect on August 7. However, Japanese stocks jumped to record highs as strong earnings and hopes that the US may remove overlapping tariffs on Japanese goods lifted investor sentiments.

Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 2.24 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.67 per cent.

China's SSE Composite was flat, though with a positive bias, and the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng was down by 0.66 per cent.