Markets Open Flat as Crude Nears $90, Inflation in Focus

The stock market in India is like a huge scoreboard that shows how much companies are worth.

On Wednesday, that scoreboard barely moved — it opened almost exactly where it finished the day before, which people call opening 'flat.'

The reason is that the price of oil is very high, close to 90 dollars for one barrel.

Oil is expensive because there is trouble near a very important waterway called the Strait of Hormuz, where huge ships carry oil to the world.

When oil gets pricey, companies have to pay more to make and move their goods, so investors get nervous.

Investors were also waiting for new numbers from America that show how fast prices are rising there, called inflation data.

The day before, on Tuesday, the market had fallen a little because of these worries.

Analysts say the high oil price is the main thing stopping the market from climbing higher.

Everyone is now watching the new inflation numbers to decide what to do next.