FIIs net sell shares worth Rs 3296 crore, DIIs net buy Rs 8594 on March 2

At close, the Sensex was down 1,048.34 points or 1.29 percent at 80,238.85, and the Nifty was down 312.95 points or 1.24 percent at 24,865.70. The Nifty midcap and smallcap indices fell 1.5 percent each.

• FIIs net bought Rs 3,296 crore, DIIs net bought Rs 8,594 crore
• Sensex fell 1.29 percent, Nifty dropped 1.24 percent
• Most sectors ended lower as geopolitical tensions hit sentiment

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Amidst continued volatility on the back of a growing West Asia conflict, Foreign investors (FIIs/FPIs) net bought Rs 3,296 crore worth of Indian equities on March 2. At the same time, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 8,594 crore, according to provisional exchange data.

During the trading session, DIIs purchased shares worth Rs 21,111 crore and sold shares worth Rs 12,517 crore. In contrast, FIIs bought shares worth Rs 12,737 crore but sold shares totalling Rs 16,033 crore.

For the year so far, FIIs have been net sellers of shares worth Rs 50,581 crore, while DIIs have net bought shares worth Rs 116.223 crore.

Market view At close, the Sensex was down 1,048.34 points or 1.29 percent at 80,238.85, and the Nifty was down 312.95 points or 1.24 percent at 24,865.70. The Nifty midcap and smallcap indices fell 1.5 percent each.

Biggest Nifty losers were L&T, Interglobe Aviation, Adani Ports, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Adani Enterprises, while gainers included Bharat Electronics, Sun Pharma, ONGC, Dr Reddy's Labs and Hindalco.

Except metals, all other sectoral indices ended lower with Auto, Consumer Durables, Oil & Gas down 2 percent each.

Vikram Kasat, Head - Advisory, PL Capital noted that Indian equities ended the session on a cautious note, with the Nifty witnessing volatility through the day as escalating geopolitical tensions weighed on investor sentiment. "From a sectoral standpoint, oil marketing companies and paint manufacturers faced pressure on concerns over input cost inflation, while aviation stocks also saw some profit-taking amid fears of elevated ATF prices. On the other hand, upstream energy names provided some support to the index, tracking firm crude prices. Defensive pockets such as FMCG and select pharma counters saw relative outperformance as investors sought stability amid uncertainty."

He added that despite near-term headwinds, domestic macros remain resilient, supported by steady earnings expectations and sustained SIP inflows. "However, we expect markets to remain headline-driven in the near term, with crude trajectory and geopolitical cues likely to dictate sentiment. Investors should stay selective and focus on quality balance sheets and earnings visibility," he noted.