FII/FPIs net sell Indian equities worth Rs 2,760 crore while DIIs net bought Rs 2,644 crore

FII

Foreign investors (FIIs/FPIs) turned into net sellers again, on December 29, selling Rs 2,760 crore worth of Indian equities on Monday. This has been the second-highest sell off by FIIs in December, while the highest was on Dec 9 at Rs 3,760 crore. At the same time, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 2,644 crore, according to provisional exchange data.

During the trading session, DIIs purchased shares worth Rs 15403 crore and sold share worth Rs 12759 crore. In contrast, FIIs bought shares worth Rs 6435 crore but sold shares totalling Rs 9195 crore.

For the year so far, FIIs have been net sellers of shares worth Rs 2.84 lakh crore, while DIIs have net bought shares worth Rs 7.72 lakh crore.

Market Performance

Indian equity markets ended Monday’s session on a weak note, as traders remained cautious ahead of the December derivatives expiry amid subdued year-end volumes and continued foreign institutional investor (FII) outflows.

The Nifty 50 slipped below the 25,950 mark, closing nearly 100 points lower, while the Sensex fell 346 points to settle at 84,695. The Bank Nifty also ended in the red, down 79 points, slipping below the 59,000 level. Weakness extended to the broader markets, with the Nifty Midcap and Smallcap indices declining around 0.5% each.

Reflecting on the Indian market's performance, Vikram Kasat, Head - Advisory, PL Capital, said, Volatility picked up after several muted sessions. India VIX rose over 6% to 9.72, signalling a modest increase in near-term uncertainty as market participants positioned cautiously ahead of expiry-related developments."

On the sectoral front, metal stocks failed to hold on to early gains, retreating from intraday highs as global prices corrected. Selling pressure was also visible across financials, IT, realty, healthcare and consumption-linked stocks, reflecting a risk-averse undertone.

Railway stocks witnessed profit booking after recent sharp rallies, with IRFC and RVNL sliding close to 5% each. In contrast, Nifty Media, FMCG and PSU indices managed to close marginally higher, supported by selective buying in defensive and energy-related names.

Oil marketing companies advanced as crude oil prices eased, providing relief to the sector. Meanwhile, HFCL, NCC and Titagarh Rail Systems ended higher, gaining between 2% and 5%, ahead of their exclusion from the futures and options segment.

Among Nifty 50 constituents, Tata Steel, Tata Consumer Products, Asian Paints and Grasim were the top gainers, while Adani Ports, Power Grid, HCL Technologies, Trent, BEL and Bharti Airtel featured among the key losers.

In the commodities space, gold and silver saw some profit booking after scaling record highs in recent sessions.