Indian Stocks Eye Subdued Open Amid Hormuz Hopes

Imagine a big shop where people buy and sell tiny pieces of companies, called shares.

India has two famous lists of these shares, called the Sensex and the Nifty.

On Thursday morning, these lists were expected to start almost exactly where they finished the day before, so traders expected a calm, flat opening.

The day before, the Sensex went up a little bit and the Nifty went up by just a tiny amount.

Money experts were also watching the price of oil, which went down a little.

Oil became cheaper because countries like Iran, Oman and the United States are talking about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a very important waterway near the Persian Gulf where many oil ships travel.

A news report said there is a plan that could let Iran check ships entering the Gulf, but the United States has not agreed to it.

On the other side of the world, American markets were mixed — one index set a record high while others fell.

In Asia, markets in Japan and South Korea went down because some investors sold shares to lock in profits after a big rally.

India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, also shared its decision on interest rates, which investors watched closely.