New Delhi, May 18 -- Elevated crude oil prices driven by Middle East conflict, heavy foreign capital outflow, rupee's weakness against the US dollar, and lack of AI trade have kept the Indian stock market in the negative territory this year so far- equity benchmark Nifty 50 is down nearly 10% year-to-date (YTD).

The outlook for the market is hazy as there is still uncertainty over when the US-Iran conflict will settle, and the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open. Concerns are also rising about the second and third-order impact of higher crude oil prices.

The prevailing situation requires prudence in stock selection. Ravi Singh, Chief Research Officer at Master Capital Services, recommends the following 10 stocks to buy for the long term...