Domestic equity benchmarks traded lower in early deals on Tuesday as elevated oil prices and caution ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy announcement weighed on sentiment. The Sensex dropped 281.95 points to 73,316.21, while the Nifty slipped 63.15 points to 22,694.60. Brent crude remained near a six-month high following attacks on Saudi Arabia, renewing concerns over energy costs and their impact on India’s inflation and corporate earnings. In contrast, most Asian markets advanced after Wall Street’s rally led by AI stocks. South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 4% at one point, and Japan’s Nikkei rose 2.2%, while Hong Kong and Shanghai traded lower. Investors were also tracking earnings from major US technology companies, including Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon, due this week.

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