Stock Market Cues Today: US-China Trade War, Inflation Data, Crude Oil Price, And Other Factors To Watch

Several developments that occurred over the weekend and a few macroeconomic data releases are likely to set the tone for the trade on October 13.

During the previous week, both the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 gained over 1.5 per cent each. At close on October 10, the BSE Sensex was at 82,500.82, up 0.40 per cent, or 328.72 points, from previous close. Likewise, the NSE Nifty 50 was at 25,285.35, up 0.41 per cent, or 103.55 points.

Key Market Cues To Watch Today

US China Tariff War

US President Donald Trump seemed to tone down his approach towards China on October 12 after imposing a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods "over and above any tariff that they are currently paying" last week. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said that the United States wants to "help China, not hurt it."

“Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine!” Trump wrote in his post. “Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!”

The new tariffs announced by Trump on China will take effect on November 1.

Trump’s comments come amid rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies, as investors worry about the impact of a renewed tariff war on global trade and markets.

China Accuses US Of ‘Double Standards’

China has hit back at Trump’s latest threat to slap an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, calling it a “typical example of US double standards.”

A spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce said the country is “not afraid” of a potential trade war and could take its own “countermeasures” if the US goes ahead with the move.

India Inflation Data September 2025

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is set to release India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation data for September later today.

Market participants will be keeping a close eye on the numbers to gauge what the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) might do next on interest rates.

US Stock Market

US stock markets saw a sharp fall on October 10 after Trump announced new tariffs on Chinese goods. The Dow Jones fell 1.90 per cent, while the S&P 500 slipped 2.71 per cent. The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 3.56 per cent.

Asian Markets

Asian stocks fell sharply in early trade today as renewed trade tensions between the US and China hurt investor sentiment. China’s blue-chip CSI 300 and the Shanghai Composite Index both fell nearly 2 per cent in early trade, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down more than 2 per cent.

Markets in Japan were closed for Sports Day, but other regional markets also slipped. South Korea’s Kospi fell 2.1 per cent, and Australia’s ASX200 lost 0.5 per cent.

Crude Oil Price

Crude oil prices bounced back in early trade today, rising nearly 1.5 per cent after sliding more than 3.5 per cent on October 10 following Trump’s China tariff announcement.

Brent Crude futures were trading around $63.60 per barrel, up 1.42 per cent, and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude futures traded at $59.73 per barrel, up 1.46 per cent.

Gold Price Today

Gold prices scaled to fresh all time highs in early trade. Gold futures on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) jumped as much as 1.90 per cent to hit a new lifetime high of Rs 1,23,680 per 10 grams. On COMEX, Gold futures surged nearly up to 2 per cent to $4,079.30 per ounce.

USD vs INR

The Indian rupee was little changed against the US dollar in early trade today. The USD/INR pair was trading at 88.74, down 0.02 per cent.

During the day so far, the currency moved in a narrow range between 88.72 and 88.76.