Indian stock markets opened lower on Tuesday as crude oil prices climbed toward $107 a barrel on continued worries about Middle East supply amid the US-Iran conflict.

The BSE Sensex opened at 72,633.68, down 0.19 per cent, while the NSE Nifty 50 started at 22,732.45, down 0.21 per cent. Both benchmarks were trading near six-month lows.

Brent crude futures rose about 1.5 per cent to $107 a barrel. India, the world’s third-largest crude importer, faces a bigger import bill and fresh inflation pressure when oil prices spike.

The weakness follows Monday’s steep sell-off, when the Sensex plunged 1,124 points to close at 72,771.72 and the Nifty fell 1.56 per cent to 22,780.25.

The rupee also slipped, touching 96.1450 per dollar, a two-month low, as higher oil prices deepened worries about the energy-importing economy.

Thirteen of the 16 major sectors traded lower at the open. Investors are also watching high US bond yields, with the 10-year Treasury yield at 5.27 per cent, its highest in 19 years.