New Delhi, Sept. 7 -- Indian markets start the week in red as Brent Crude reaches fresh highs amid heightened geopolitical conflict in West Asia and concerns over US interest rates. The BSE Sensex stood at 76,408.05 points, shedding 107.38 points or 0.14 per cent, while the NSE Nifty 50 traded at 23,883.15 points, down 14.55 points or 0.06 per cent.

Anindya Banerjee, Head of Commodity and Currency Research at Kotak Securities, said, "Brent is trading near USD 96.50 this morning after a rise of about 10% last week, and the weekend has added a new dimension to the conflict - it is now being fought at sea."

He added, "On Saturday, the US struck three Iranian oil tankers anchored off Iran's coast, its first direct strikes on Iranian tankers...