Ahead of Market: 10 things that will decide stock market action on Friday

Indian markets closed sharply lower with Sensex declining about 364 points to 76,391 and Nifty 50 falling nearly 127 points below 23,870, while broader markets also slipped up to 1%. Selling pressure was broad-based amid crude oil prices approaching $100 per barrel due to widening Middle East conflict concerns, sparking fears of prolonged inflation and a higher-for-longer global rate environment. US stocks hit multi-week lows on heavy AI spending worries after Alphabet and Tesla earnings disappointed, and European markets fell on an 18% slump in STMicroelectronics. Technical view from LKP Securities indicates Nifty has broken below its upward consolidation with a bearish RSI crossover, eyeing 23,600 as the next support.