Foreign investors sold nearly ₹35,000 crore of Indian equities in four sessions as stocks fell for a fourth straight day. While FIIs offloaded shares worth ₹9,484.22 crore on Thursday, domestic investors helped cushion the market by buying shares worth ₹10,041.84 crore. The Sensex and Nifty both ended lower this week.

Foreign investors sold nearly ₹35,000 crore of Indian equities in four sessions, while strong DII buying cushioned the market as stocks fell for a fourth straight day.

By Navneet Singh

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to sell Indian equities heavily on Thursday, offloading shares worth ₹9,484.22 crore on a provisional basis, according to exchange data.

Domestic institutional investors (DIIs), however, continued to absorb the selling pressure, buying shares worth ₹10,041.84 crore on a net basis.

The latest fund-flow data comes as Indian equities extended their losing streak, with the Sensex and Nifty falling for the fourth consecutive trading session this week. The Nifty ended 199 points lower at 22,422, while the Sensex fell 571 points to 71,910.

FII selling nears ₹35,000 crore in four sessions

FIIs have been net sellers in each of the past four trading sessions, with selling remaining above ₹5,000 crore on each day.

FIIs net sold ₹5,353.22 crore on September 28, ₹9,980.22 crore on September 29 and ₹10,148.41 crore on September 30. On October 1, selling stood at ₹9,484.22 crore.

That takes total FII net selling over the four sessions to about ₹34,966 crore.

DIIs have provided a strong counterweight. They bought ₹5,189.02 crore on September 28, ₹6,952.71 crore on September 29 and ₹11,271.73 crore on September 30. On October 1, DII buying stood at ₹10,041.84 crore.

DII net purchases over the four sessions have therefore reached about ₹33,455 crore.

Indian stocks extend weekly losses

The sustained foreign selling comes against a weak week for Indian equities. The market has fallen in all four trading sessions so far this week.

The Nifty is down more than 3% for the week, while the Sensex has fallen around 3%. The Nifty Bank has declined about 2%.

The broader market has also come under pressure, with the Nifty Midcap index down nearly 4% for the week. Companies listed on the BSE have lost nearly ₹20 lakh crore in market value over the same period.

Most major sectoral indices ended lower, with hospitality and auto among the biggest decliners. IT was the exception.

Auto stocks remained under pressure despite mixed monthly sales numbers, with the auto index falling more than 3% for the week.

Bajaj Auto fell 8% on Thursday, its biggest single-day decline in two years, after the company reported lower-than-expected monthly sales. Maruti Suzuki was also among the biggest Nifty losers despite reporting auto sales broadly in line with expectations.

Market breadth remained weak, with roughly one stock advancing for every three that declined.

The rupee also came under pressure, ending back above 96 against the US dollar. It fell 48 paise on Thursday, its biggest one-day decline in two months.