Foreign portfolio investors turned net sellers of equity after they turned buyers for the first time since Feb. 23. This comes as the US-Iran talks collapsed on Sunday and US President Donald Trump Ordered a navel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. While FPIs offloaded stake worth Rs 1,983 crore and domestic institutional investors stayed net buyers for the 31st day as they bought shares worth Rs 2,432 crore.
Last week, FPIs offloaded total stake worth Rs 20,710 crore, while the DIIs bought stake worth Rs 21,603 crore. The spike in FPI selling came as the tensions in Middle East rose amid Iran war.
The FPIs have sold shares worth Rs 35,962 crore in January, according to data on the NSDL. On the other hand, FPIs in February have bought stake worth Rs 22,615 crore, aided by improving risk sentiment in the geoeconomics space. However, after the FPIs staged a brief and tentative return to Indian equities, the escalating tensions in the Middle East amid the US-Iran war rattled the global risk sentiment pushing the FPIs to turn net sellers.
ALSO READ: Nifty Wipes Out Most Of Friday's Gain Amid F&O Expiry, Sensex Drops Over 700 Points
In the last month they sold equity worth Rs 1.18 lakh crore posting a month with the highest ever selling. In April so far they have offloaded stake worth Rs 46,704 crore. In 2026 so far, the FPIs have net sold equities worth Rs 1.77 lakh crore.
Market Recap
Indian equity benchmark—NSE Nifty 50—wiped out most of Friday's gain amid F&O expiry and weak global cues due to a sell-off triggered by the US blockade announcement in the Strait of Hormuz.
The 50-stock index declined nearly 1% to settle above 23,800. On Friday, the benchmark index had closed at 24,050.60 on Friday. Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex closed over 700 points lower or 0.97% to end near 77,000.
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