Closes

• The United States has closed its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, transferring all diplomatic functions and responsibilities to the main embassy in Islamabad. • The consolidation reflects the U.S. government's restructuring of its diplomatic footprint in Pakistan and aims to streamline operations. • The move impacts diplomatic engagement in northwestern Pakistan, a strategically important region bordering Afghanistan.

• Indian benchmark indices ended positively on May 4, 2026, with Nifty 50 closing at 24,100 after gaining 122 points and Sensex up 356 points at 77,488 amid volatile trading. • Realty, metal, and healthcare sectors led broad-based gains, driven by falling crude oil prices and improved investor sentiment following state election results, while IT stocks lagged. • Top Nifty gainers included Adani Ports (up 5%), Adani Enterprises, Eicher Motors (up 3%), Hindustan Unilever, and Shriram Finance; laggards were Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Dr. Reddy's, ONGC, and TCS.

• India's BSE Sensex ended 0.8% down at 76,913.5 on Thursday, reversing prior gains due to elevated oil prices and global cues. • Financial stocks led losses with Axis Bank dropping 3.4% on marginal Q4 profit decline, while gainers included Cohance up 20% and Reliance rising 2.9%. • The decline highlights sector vulnerabilities, impacting investor sentiment in a volatile market environment.

• Benchmark Nifty 50 index fell 180.10 points or 0.74% to close at 23,997.55, while Sensex dropped 582.86 points to 76,913.50. • Nifty Bank index declined 0.98% to 54,863.35, dragged by profit booking after early gains on Q4 earnings. • Sectors like metals, PSU banks, and realty saw sharp declines amid surging oil prices and foreign outflows.

• The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.48% to 16,240.35 on Monday, April 26, driven by weakness in mega-cap technology stocks including Apple (down 1.2%) and Microsoft (down 0.9%), as investors reassess growth expectations ahead of the Federal Reserve's May meeting. • Treasury yields climbed to 4.35% for the 10-year note amid inflation concerns, pressuring valuations of rate-sensitive tech companies and spurring profit-taking after recent market gains. • The decline reflects growing caution among portfolio managers about earnings sustainability in the second quarter, with earnings guidance from major tech firms expected to dominate trading through early May.

• A leading AI startup focused on enterprise AI solutions secured $150 million in Series B funding on April 25, 2026. • The round was led by Lightspeed Ventures and SoftBank, signaling strong investor confidence in scalable AI technologies for businesses. • This funding underscores accelerating growth in the US enterprise AI sector amid rising demand for efficient AI deployment tools.

IRGC reportedly fires on tanker as it tries to pass through strait after brief window when strait had reopened• Middle East crisis – live updatesIranian officials say they have reversed the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and reimposed restrictions on the vital shipping lane after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports.A UK maritime agency reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ships had fired at a tanker as it attempted to pass through the strait on Saturday. Continue reading...