Crude oil prices, geopolitical tensions in West Asia, and upcoming inflation data will dictate stock market direction this week, according to analysts.   Moreover, developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, foreign investor trading activity, and domestic quarterly earnings will also remain key monitorables for the Indian stock market, experts added. "Domestically, investors will closely monitor the July CPI inflation print, WPI inflation, and the latest foreign exchange reserves data for fresh insights into inflation trends and external sector stability. The Q1 FY27 earnings season will gather further momentum, with several companies, including HAL, Bharat Forge, Grasim Industries, and Tata Motors, scheduled to announce their quarterly results," Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.      Globally, market participants will continue to monitor developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, movements in crude oil prices, and broader geopolitical negotiations involving Iran, he added.  "This week is likely to be shaped by two dominant themes: developments in the Middle East and the July US inflation report. Attention will remain firmly focused on the Middle East, where negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz remain fluid," Ponmudi R, CEO - Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.   On the macroeconomic front, the July US inflation report will be the key global event in the week ahead, he said and added that crude oil will remain another key monitorable for Indian markets.   Meanwhile, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) maintained their buying spree in Indian equities, investing Rs 12,921 crore in the first week of August.      Last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 404.53 points, or 0.51 per cent, and the NSE Nifty went up by 187.05 points, or 0.76 per cent.   "Markets ended the week with modest gains despite heightened volatility, as investors navigated the roll-out of the new Closing Auction Session (CAS) framework for F&O stocks, the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision, and lingering geopolitical uncertainties," Mishra said.      The closing auction session remained the key highlight of the last week, as it was the first week of the new system, Santosh Meena, Head of Research at Swastika Investmart Ltd, said.   "The week will also be important from a macroeconomic perspective, with India scheduled to release CPI inflation on August 12 and WPI inflation on August 14. In the US, CPI and PPI (Producer Price Index) data will be released on August 12 and 13, respectively," he added.