FIIs log biggest buy since March 27 with Rs 8,250 crore inflow; DIIs net sellers at Rs 534 crore

Bulls hit the pause button on April 24, as benchmark indices Nifty 50 and Sensex snapped their seven-session winning streak.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued their buying streak for the eighth straight session on Thursday, pumping in Rs 8,250 crore—their largest single-day purchase since March 27. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) booked profits, offloading shares worth Rs 534 crore.

During the trading session of April 24, FIIs bought shares worth Rs 24,089 crore and sold shares worth Rs 15,838 crore. DIIs purchased shares worth Rs 13,452 crore and sold shares worth Rs 13,986 crore.

For the year so far, FIIs have been net sellers of shares worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore, while DIIs have net bought Rs 1.97 lakh crore worth of shares.

Market Performance

Bulls hit the pause button on April 24, as benchmark indices Nifty 50 and Sensex snapped their seven-session winning streak. A volatile expiry-day session and sharp losses in the FMCG pack weighed on sentiment, pulling the markets lower.

The FMCG index was the day's worst performer, sinking over one percent following disappointing earnings from heavyweights like Hindustan Unilever Ltd., Nestle India, and Tata Consumer Products. In contrast, the Nifty Pharma index surged nearly one percent, powered by gains in Natco Pharma, Divi's Laboratories, and Ajanta Pharma, which rose up to 12 percent. Nifty Auto, Bank, IT, and Realty also ended lower in the range of 0.4 to 1.4 percent.

Broader markets mirrored the weak trend. The Nifty Midcap 100 index slipped 0.2 percent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 closed marginally lower, giving up some gains after a sharp rally in recent sessions.

"Foreign investors have pivoted to net buyers in the cash market (Rs 21,000 crore in net buying since the April 7th lows) while gradually covering their short positions in index futures. However, they still hold 67 percent net shorts. This shift suggests markets may find buying support at lower levels during pullbacks," said Devarsh Vakil, Head of Prime Research at HDFC Securities.