Mumbai, Aug. 31 -- The key equity benchmarks traded with strong losses in the morning trade amid renewed US-Iran tensions pushed crude oil prices higher and kept investors in a risk-off mood. Brent crude rose above the $90-per-barrel mark, raising concerns over inflation and its potential impact on interest-rate expectations.

Market participants remained cautious ahead of the MSCI index rebalancing, which is expected to trigger sizeable passive fund flows under the new Closing Auction Session (CAS) mechanism. The Nifty traded below 24,050 mark.

Investors will closely track movements in crude oil and gold prices, domestic and US bond yields, the rupee, and developments surrounding the US-Iran conflict. The trajectory of monsoon rainfall ...