Indian Shares Likely To Drift Lower Amid Rising US-Iran Tensions

(RTTNews) - Indian shares are seen opening lower on Monday as investors react to rising oil prices and global bond yields.

Brent crude prices jumped more than 2 percent to trade above $90 a barrel after American forces targeted two rocket launches on Iran's Larak Island, killing and wounding several Iranian fighters and civilians.

Washington "took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz," the U.S. Central Command said.

Subsequently, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan.

Meanwhile, U.S. short-term Treasury yields moved sharply higher after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh leaned hawkish in his Jackson Hole speech.

Asian markets were broadly lower this morning, with South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong leading regional losses ahead of the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors starting today in Asheville, North Carolina.

While the dollar held steady near a two-week high, two-year U.S. Treasury yields held at 4.36 percent after rising almost 12 basis points on Friday.

Gold fell 0.7 percent to $4,421 an ounce after tumbling about 3 percent on Friday as traders increased their expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike in September.

U.S. stocks ended firmly in the red on Friday amid bets that the Federal Reserve may hike interest rates soon to get sticky inflation under control.

Bond yields surged after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said that underlying inflation is not slowing and vowed to bring it down closer to 2 percent, even if it causes pain for the economy in the short term.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dipped half a percent, the S&P 500 eased 0.3 percent and the narrower Dow finished marginally lower.

European stocks advanced on Friday as French stocks recovered from the previous session's sell-off and data showed Eurozone economic confidence improved to a seven-month high in August.

The pan-European STOXX 600 gained half a percent. The German DAX surged 0.8 percent, France's CAC 40 rallied 1 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 edged up 0.3 percent.