Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have offloaded Indian equities worth Rs 66,051 crore on a year-to-date basis.
This has turned out to be the worst month so far, as foreign investors continue pulling out of their Indian investments. The significant exodus is on the back of the Iran-Israel/US war that is now in its 15th day, with no signs of a truce.
However, Reuters reported that U.S. President Donald Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Iran is “about to surrender.” The report itself quoted Axios.
They turned net buyers in February, buying shares worth Rs 16,912 in the domestic markets so far. The trend reversal comes on the back of improved Q3 earnings.
The Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net buyers on Friday, purchasing shares worth nearly Rs 9,977 crore.
“During the week, FIIs remained net sellers at Rs 31,824 crore, while DIIs net bought Rs 37,740 crore in the cash market,” SBI Securities said in a note. “As we enter next week, global equity markets are likely to remain volatile due to the developments in the US-Iran war. Investors will continue to focus on any new geopolitical development regarding the progress of the US-Iran conflict,” the brokerage added.Indian markets bled on Friday with benchmark indices falling sharply and recording their third successive decline. The biggest drags were metals, auto, and financial stocks. In a volatile session, the broader Nifty plunged 488.05 points, or 2.06%, to close at 23,151.10, while the 30-share Sensex declined 1470.50 points, or 1.93%, to settle at 74,563.92.
In 2025, the FIIs’ buying trends remained patchy, but the overall trend was bearish. They took Rs 1,66,286 crore from Indian markets as trade deal delays and premium valuations weighed on sentiment.
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The FIIs were net sellers in December, offloading domestic shares worth Rs 22,611.
FIIs sold shares worth Rs 11,766 crore in Q3 after offloading shares worth Rs 76,619 crore in the third quarter of CY25.
The April–June period of 2025 witnessed inflows totalling Rs 38,673 crore; meanwhile, massive selling to the tune of Rs 1,16,574 crore happened during the January–March quarter.
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