Mumbai, April 30 -- The week ahead is likely to be shaped by a confluence of factors, with the energy crisis deepening materially in this week as Brent crude briefly touching $126 per barrel-mark.

The negotiations between the US and Iran continued to remain stalled and the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shut. The escalation was compounded by the UAE's shock exit from OPEC as Abu Dhabi sought to free itself from production quotas and chart an independent course once the strait eventually reopens.

On the macro front, the US Fed held rates steady at 3.50-3.75% at its 29 April FOMC meeting, with the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow model tracking Q1 2026 US growth at just 1.2%, reflecting the drag from elevated energy costs and tariff-driven pri...