Indian shares fall for second session on Middle East war

Equity markets in India extended their decline for a second consecutive session on Thursday, as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and new trade pressures from the West weighed heavily on investor sentiment. The Nifty 50 index dropped 0.95% to close at 23,639.15, while the BSE Sensex shed 1.08% to finish at 76,034.42. Since the onset of the conflict between Israel and Iran on February 28, the benchmark indexes have retreated by 6.1% and 6.5%, respectively.