India's Nifty 50 pared intraday losses, trading down 0.09%.

US Secretary of State Rubio said the main drivers of the oil price rise are Yemen and Ukraine.

People familiar with the matter said South Korea's National Pension Service (NPS) is seeking permission to invest in Indian government bonds via a low-compliance channel set up by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). India has been simplifying registration, cutting taxes and pushing for inclusion in global bond indices to attract foreign capital into its sovereign-debt market. NPS, the world's third-largest pension fund managing over $1.3 tln, would be among the first applicants under SEBI's window for foreign investors restricted to government securities; the application would establish a dedicated vehicle to scale sovereign allocations to India.