Global oil prices moved higher on Tuesday, recovering from a sharp drop in the previous session, as concerns over an escalation in the Middle East conflict and uncertainty around US-Iran diplomacy keeps the markets volatile.Brent crude climbed toward $104 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose nearly 4%, reversing part of Monday’s steep decline triggered by US president Donald Trump delaying potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, according to Bloomberg. Market sentiment remains driven by mixed messaging from Washington and Tehran. Trump had said there were “productive” talks with Iran and suggested oil prices could “fall like a rock” if a deal is reached. However, Iran has denied any negotiations.Adding to uncertainty, Iranian deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad ruled out talks with the US and indicated the Strait of Hormuz would not return to normal operations, according to Fars news agency.

Strait of Hormuz disruptions tighten supply outlook

The Strait of Hormuz continues to be the focal point for global energy markets. The key oil transit route has seen severely reduced traffic, forcing Gulf producers to cut millions of barrels of daily output.Although a limited number of vessels have exited the Persian Gulf in recent days, most shipping remains stalled, keeping supply tight and supporting prices.Crude has surged over 40% this month amid fears of prolonged disruption, with refined products like diesel and jet fuel rising even faster, adding pressure on consumers and governments.Concerns have also grown over potential escalation, with a Wall Street Journal report indicating that US allies in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, may be moving closer to joining the conflict.At the same time, Israel has continued strikes, while reports of damage to gas facilities in Iran’s Isfahan region have added to supply worries.Analysts say markets are likely to remain sensitive to both geopolitical developments and actual supply flows.“It is unclear how far back-channel talks have progressed or if the IRGC is in any mood to settle at this stage when they remain in firm control of the Strait of Hormuz,” RBC Capital Markets analysts said, adding, “Ships, not soundbites, will likely be what ultimately matters for physical markets.”Goldman Sachs’ Daan Struyven told Bloomberg TV, “If this shock lasts longer, this extreme tightness that’s now concentrated in Middle East and Asia would spread,” warning that demand destruction may eventually be needed to rebalance supply.Oil markets have seen sharp swings in recent sessions, with prices still up over 30% this month despite Monday’s decline. Analysts note that repeated shifts in US messaging and uncertainty around diplomacy have left investors cautious.With negotiations unclear and supply disruptions ongoing, traders are closely tracking developments around the Strait of Hormuz, which remains central to global oil flows.(With inputs from agencies)

Stock market today (AI image)

Stock market today: Indian equity benchmarks Nifty50 and BSE Sensex rallied in opening trade on Tuesday after a day of massive selloff. Hopes of an early halt to the US-Iran war led to the stock market rebounding. While Nifty50 went above 22,800, BSE Sensex was up over 1,100 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 22,848.45, up 336 points or 1.49%. BSE Sensex was at 73,806.09, up 1,110 points or 1.53%.Stock markets ended sharply lower on Monday as escalating tensions in the US-Iran conflict, rising crude oil prices and the rupee hitting fresh record lows weighed heavily on investor sentiment.Market mood, however, improved after trading hours when US President Donald Trump announced that planned military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure would be deferred following “productive conversations” with Tehran.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “Politics is turning out to be as volatile as the market. President Trump signalled a 5-day halt to attacks on Iran and talked about ‘productive’ talks with the Iranian leadership. Immediately Iran’s foreign ministry denied this. Later they acknowledged that there are attempts to ‘get diplomacy going’ through the mediation of some countries. Brent crude crashed by 10% to $100 levels on news of positive initiatives to end the hostilities. The market, it appears, is factoring in an end to the war as reflected in the August US oil futures trading at $80. However, in the near-term there will be excessive volatility in response to news regarding the war and events on the war front.”“A major drag on the market now is the huge selling by FIIs despite the sharp correction in the market. The continuing weakness in the rupee is the main factor behind this sustained selling by FIIs. Therefore, if some sort of stability is to emerge in the market, rupee should stabilize first. IT and pharmaceutical segments are likely to remain resilient assisted by rupee depreciation.” Globally, US markets closed with gains of over 1% after oil prices declined on the back of Trump’s decision to delay strikes on Iran’s power infrastructure. Asian equities also advanced, while the dollar showed volatility and oil prices remained under pressure following the easing of fears around a major energy supply disruption.However, crude prices moved higher again in early Tuesday trade amid concerns over supply, after Iran denied holding any discussions with the United States to end the conflict, contradicting Trump’s statement that a resolution could be near.Gold prices recovered partially after the announcement to postpone US strikes provided some relief following the metal’s recent sharp decline during the conflict.Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers of Indian equities, offloading shares worth Rs 10,414.23 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors provided some support by purchasing equities worth Rs 12,033.97 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

KOLKATA: Bengal voters under adjudication waited through Monday for the promised first supplementary electoral roll as Election Commission kept revising the deadline before finally pushing it to midnight. The list with around 29 lakh names was finally uploaded at 11.45pm.Supreme Court, which had on March 10 ordered the publication of supplementary voters’ lists, will take up the case related to the SIR of the Bengal electoral roll for hearing again on Tuesday.The release of the list was preceded by day-long confusion among voters under adjudication.

Speaking to reporters in the evening, Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal said, “I don’t know how many names have been approved or rejected at this moment.” Around 60 lakh names on Bengal’s final vot-ers’ list were placed under adjudication.In all, 705 judges were drafted to scrutinise documents and decide whether they are genuine electors or not. “Till today, about 29 lakh pending cases have been disposed of. Whatever names have come through the e-sign of the judicial officer up to 4-5 pm today will be published. EC headquarters in Delhi is processing the exercise on the central server, and we hope the supplementary list will be published by 9-9.30 pm today. It takes 4-6 hours to prepare the list,” Agarwal said at a press briefing around 7.30pm.The names approved by judicial officers will be marked as “Name Addition,” and those rejected will be marked as “Name Deletion” on the supplementary list.The list can be accessed online at the EC website (https://voters.eci.gov.in/), CEO website (https://ceowestbengal.wb.gov.in/) and the ECINET app. Hard copies of the list will be available with DEOs, DMs, SDOs and BDOs. The list will also be displayed at polling stations on Tuesday, Agarwal said.The CEO said that following a meeting at Calcutta High Court a few days ago, scrutiny of documents was over in Kalimpong, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura.EC has constituted 19 appellate tribunals headed by former high court judges to hear appeals from across Bengal on inclusion or exclusion of names following the publication of the supplementary lists. The poll panel had announced that the second list would be out on Friday and the third on April 3.When asked when appeals can be filed, Agarwal said, “They can’t apply from tomorrow. Calcutta High Court will issue a notification. Following that, appeals can be made to the tribunals.”He also said the tribunals will take time to become functional. “Tribunals need office space and allied infrastructure. We have sought space from the state govt and have discussed the issue with the chief secretary. Once the state govt provides the space, we will inform the high court. The court will then inspect and determine eligibility. If the space is deemed suitable, the court will allow us to proceed. Otherwise, we will have to scout for alternative spaces. But we are trying to set up tribunal offices as fast as we can,” Agarwal said.Regarding the law and order situation in Bengal, he replied, “Law and order is a state subject. The chief secretary, home secretary, DGP and commissioner of Kolkata Police are looking into this. The DMs and SPs are also alert.”Replying to a query on the role of police, he said, “The role of police is good. They have taken prompt action in places where trouble erupted.”

Shreyas Iyer after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. KKR won by 8 wickets. (PTI Photo)

Shreyas Iyer is the only Indian captain to reach the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with three different teams — Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2025.Despite leading KKR to the title in 2024, Iyer did not receive much credit for the win and was released by the franchise the following season.Speaking on JioStar, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra explained why Iyer’s role as captain has often not been fully recognised and what could change that perception.“I think his contribution as a leader got diluted a bit in the narrative that’s often set by people who are not a part of the team. Two things happened at KKR with Shreyas Iyer. He was in a setup where the coach was also a very strong and popular personality. That wasn’t the case with MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma, or even Virat Kohli at RCB, where there wasn’t such a dominant figure outside calling the shots,” Chopra said.“Here, you had Gautam Gambhir, a very successful player and a very good mentor. The others, MS, Rohit and Kohli, have been India Captains for a significant period and very successful ones. Credit is already given to them on a platter. In Shreyas’ case, he is not an India Captain. But he is now getting his due, because he is doing so well,” the former KKR player added.Iyer will lead Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL season after taking them to the final last year. In his first season with the franchise, he scored 604 runs at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of 175.07.Chopra also spoke about what could lead to wider recognition for Iyer as a captain.“If you think that if he wins one more trophy, everything will suddenly change and everyone will stand up and applaud, that may not happen. The appreciation may get louder, but his aura will not change overnight. Something like that can happen only in one scenario. The next T20 World Cup is in 2028. I am not saying that India’s T20 leadership will change immediately, but there is a possibility a couple of years down the line,” he said.“If he stakes a claim to that spot, scores run, which is the first criterion, takes his team to the playoffs, the final, or wins the trophy, and somehow becomes India’s T20I Captain in the near future, whether in 12 months or by the next World Cup, then everything will change. He could even become a World Cup-winning captain for India, and that aura is different. Then he would not need any endorsement from anyone,” he concluded.