June 18 (Reuters) -

STOCKS:

The benchmark BSE Sensex was down 0.17% at 81,444.66,

while the broader NSE Nifty 50 index declined 0.17% to

24,812.05 as escalating hostilities in the Middle East dampened

investor sentiment ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary

policy decision.

RUPEE:

The Indian rupee dropped 0.28% versus the U.S. dollar

to 86.4775, on the back of persistent corporate hedging activity

and elevated oil prices as market participants continued to fret

over escalating hostilities in the Middle East.

GOVERNMENT BONDS:

The benchmark 10-year bond was quoted at 100.4975

rupees, with the yield little changed at 6.2615% while market

participants closely tracked oil prices, which have witnessed a

spike due to the recent escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict.

OVERNIGHT INDEX SWAPS:

The one-year overnight index swap rate was

maginally down at 5.48%, while the five-year swap rate

dropped 1 bp to 5.68%.

CALL MONEY:

India's overnight call money rate was at 5.10% and the

overnight TREPS rate was at 5.17%.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)