Stock Market Cues Today: Trump's Greenland Tariffs On NATO, US-Iran Tensions, Crude Oil Price Among Other Triggers

Market participants are likely to react to a host of geopolitical developments and key domestic and global cues on January 19. These include fresh tariff threats by the United States against eight NATO countries opposing its Greenland claim, Iran’s warning of an all-out war, and China’s latest economic growth data, among other developments that could shape risk sentiment during the session.

Domestic equities ended January 16 on a volatile but positive note, with benchmarks giving up most intraday gains before closing in the green. The gains were led by IT stocks, which outperformed and lent support amid mixed investor sentiment.

At close, Sensex was up 187.64 points, or 0.23 per cent at 83,570.35, and Nifty 50 was up 28.75 points, or 0.11 per cent at 25,694.35.

Stock Market Cues To Watch On Jan 19

Following are the stock market cues that are likely to guide investor sentiment on the D-Street on January 19.

Trump’s Greenland Tariffs On NATO

Markets participants are likely to stay cautious today after US President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff on imports from eight NATO countries, including major European economies such as Germany, the UK and France, from February 1. Trump has also threatened to raise these duties to 25 per cent from June 1 unless a deal is reached for his long-coveted “complete and total purchase of Greenland”.

The development has raised fresh concerns over a possible transatlantic trade conflict. Financial Times reported that some European Union (EU) countries are weighing retaliatory measures, including tariffs worth up to €93 billion (around Rs 9.80 lakh crore) on US goods or restricting American companies’ access to the EU market.

Iran’s Threatens An All Out War

Iran has warned of an all-out war if any aggression is made to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid a deadly nationwide protests, that have reportedly killed at least 5,000 people so far.

Iran’s resposne "to any unjust aggression will be harsh and regrettable," said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a post on X.

China GDP Q4 2025 Growth

China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.5 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in the fourth quarter, slowing from 4.8 per cent in the previous quarter, as weaker consumption and investment weighed on domestic demand, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed earlier today.

For the full year 2025, the world’s second largest economy expanded 5 per cent, meeting the government’s official target of 5 per cent and matching the growth recorded in 2024.

Sebi Eases Rules For FPIs

Market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on January 16 introduced the SWAGAT-FI framework to simplify on-boarding and ongoing compliance for trusted foreign investors through a single-window system. The new regime allows eligible investors to operate as both foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and foreign venture capital investors (FVCIs) through one unified registration. This would replace the earlier requirement of separate applications. 

The framework applies to low-risk global investors such as sovereign wealth funds, government-backed entities, regulated pension funds, insurers and select mutual fund units. Sebi has also extended registration and KYC validity for these investors to up to 10 years, significantly reducing compliance burden.

Q3 Earnings Today

As many as 35 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are set to report their Q3FY26 earnings on January 19. Among the major names are Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Hindustan Zinc, Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC), LTIMindtree, Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Over the weekend, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank among several other companies reported their Q3FY26 earnings.

US Stock Market

US equities on ended largely flat after a volatile session on January 16. The Dow Jones slipped 0.17 per cent, the S&P 500 eased 0.06 per cent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.06 per cent.

Asian Stock Market

Asian equities traded largely lower on January 19.

Japan's Nikkei 225 and the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng traded lower by nearly 1 per cent each, China's CSI 300 was down by around 0.25 per cent, and South Korea's Kospi traded higher by 0.90 per cent. 

Crude Oil Prices

Crude oil prices traded higher but in a tight range in early trade on January 19.

Brent crude oil futures were up by 0.06 per cent at $64.17 per barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures traded 0.07 per cent higher at $59.38 per barrel.

Rupee vs Dollar

The rupee (INR) weakened against the dollar (USD) in early trade today. The USD/INR rose 0.19 per cent to 90.85 as gaianst its previous close of 90.68.

Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, traded lower in early deals. The index slipped 0.29 per cent to 98.91 against its previous close of 99.20. On a y-o-y basis, the index is down 9.42 per cent.