Indian shares seen opening higher, but sentiment guarded on Mideast risks

India’s equity benchmarks are expected to open higher on Thursday, bouncing off their biggest daily loss in three months ​in the previous session, but investors remain alert to a ‌fresh flare-up in the Middle East. The U.S. military said on Wednesday it was launching fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the critical ​Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, hours after President Donald ​Trump declared that an interim agreement to end ⁠the war was “over.” GIFT Nifty futures were trading at 23,995.5 as ​of 7:50 a.m. IST, signalling that the Nifty 50 could ​open above Wednesday’s close of 23,882.05. The Nifty 50 and Sensex indexes both lost more than 2% on Wednesday, marking their biggest single day losses in ​three months, after Trump’s comments. Brent crude futures hovered around $79 ​per barrel, as fresh strikes dented hopes for an end to the ‌Iran ⁠war and for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign investors remained buyers of Indian equities for a sixth consecutive session on Wednesday despite the renewed Middle East conflict. They ​bought 19.63 billion ​rupees ($205.44 million) ⁠worth of shares, per provisional data. Investors will closely watch company earnings as India’s largest software exporter ​Tata Consultancy Services kickstarts results for bluechip companies ​on Thursday.