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The euro fell on Friday after a contentious meeting between Ukrainian President Zelenskiy and U.S. President Trump dashed hopes for a peace deal with Russia. The U.S. dollar edged higher, driven by inflation data and consumer spending trends, amid uncertainty over future Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Gold prices fell over 1% on Friday due to a strong dollar and U.S. inflation data meeting expectations. The Federal Reserve is predicted to adopt a cautious approach regarding additional rate cuts. Safe-haven gold is poised for its second consecutive monthly gain amidst concerns over Trump s tariff plans.

Oil prices decreased on Friday and were set for the first monthly decline since November. The market is closely watching political events between the U.S. and Ukraine, new tariffs by Washington, and Iraq s decision to resume oil exports from Kurdistan. Concerns about global growth and crude demand are rising due to these developments.

India s stock markets were hit hard, with indices falling by nearly 2% due to global sell-offs and US tariff threats on Mexico and China. The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty saw major declines, exacerbated by low GDP growth and foreign investor sell-offs, particularly affecting mid-cap and small-cap stocks.

The Nifty index experienced its longest five-month decline since its inception, falling around 14% from October to February. This recent downturn is notable, though not as severe as the 22% drop during a similar period in 2001.

Wall Street s main indexes had a subdued start on Friday after data showed inflation rose as expected in January, while concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump s policies could further fuel price pressures kept investors cautious.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded ₹11,639 crore worth of Indian equities on Friday, marking their worst sell-off in February. The Nifty plunged 420 points, breaching key supports, while Sensex fell 1,414 points. IT and auto sectors faced the sharpest declines.

The Sensex tumbled 1,414 points to close at 73,198 on Friday, with nine BSE Auto index stocks hitting 52-week lows. While these lows may present buying opportunities, they also highlight potential financial distress, prompting investors to analyze market sentiment and stock fundamentals.

World stocks fell to their lowest levels in six weeks on Friday, and the dollar hovered near multi-week highs, as the prospect of higher U.S. tariffs sent jitters through markets and revived concerns about a global trade war.

"Promoter Increasing Pledge" indicates that company promoters are pledging more shares as loan collateral. In the Nifty500, five stocks saw higher promoter pledging in Q4 2024 versus Q3 2024, based on StockEdge data.