Foreign investors have infused more than Rs 5,400 crore in the Indian capital markets this month so far on persistent drop in global crude oil prices and strengthening rupee.
This comes following a 10-month high net inflow of over Rs 12,266 crore in the capital markets (equity and debt) by foreign portfolio investors in November.
According to data available with the depositories, FPIs put in a net amount of Rs 1,900 crore in equities and Rs 3,577 crore in the debt markets, taking the total to Rs 5,477 crore during Dec. 3-28.
"The inflow in Indian capital markets are a result of persistent fall in crude oil price, which has dropped by almost 40 percent in the last three months and strengthening rupee against the U.S. dollar over the same period," said Harsh Jain, chief operating officer at Groww, an online mutual fund investment platform.
However, till Dec. 7, FPIs were net sellers in the equity market, pulling out funds to the tune of Rs 383 crore. They had also put in Rs 2,744 crore in the debt markets during the period under review.
"The sell-off was triggered on Dec. 6, when FPIs sold net assets worth Rs 361 crore in a single day. This could be largely attributed to the weakness in the global markets due to the arrest of a high-profile Chinese executive which led to a sharp fall in the stock markets globally," said Himanshu Srivastava, senior analyst manager research, Morningstar Investment Adviser India.
"Investors fear that the relationship between the world's two biggest economies—the U.S. and China—could deteriorate following the arrest and hurt economic growth. Consequently, they chose to adopt a cautious stance and shun risky assets, such as their investments in emerging markets like India, which are more susceptible to weak global cues," he added.
The sell-off by FPIs was triggered after Chinese telecom giant Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is also the company founder's daughter, was arrested in Canada for extradition to the U.S. for suspected Iran sanctions violations. FPIs have pulled out over Rs 82,500 crore from the capital markets so far this year. This includes over Rs 33,300 crore from equities and Rs 49,200 crore from the debt market.
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