Foreign Institutional Investors Sell Indian Equities Worth Rs 8,331 Crore, Domestic Institutional Investors Buy Rs 7,172 Crore Shares

Market Turmoil Continues as Foreign Investors Post Largest Net Sale in Over a Year

Foreign investors (FIIs/FPIs) net sold Rs 8,331 crore worth of Indian equities on April 1, 2026, according to provisional exchange data. In contrast, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 7,172 crore.

During the session, DIIs purchased shares worth Rs 18,537 crore and sold Rs 11,365 crore. Meanwhile, FIIs bought shares worth Rs 17,958 crore but sold Rs 26,289 crore.

The year-to-date net sales by FII/FPIs stand at Rs 1.81 lakh crore, while DIIs have net bought Rs 2.47 lakh crore.

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Market Performance Takes a Beating

The Nifty opened nearly 500 points lower, triggered by a global markets rout. While a mid-session recovery saw the index claw back 200 points to hit a high of 24,599, the momentum quickly fizzled out. A late-session slide of 150 points saw the Nifty finish at 25,480, down 385 points. Nifty has now corrected over 1,000 points in just three days.

Trading activity remains high, with NSE cash market volumes rising 4% over the previous session.

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In a sea of red, Bharti Airtel, Coal India, and Infy ended as Nifty's top gainers, while Tata steel, motor passenger vehicles and SBI Life led the losers' pack.

Midcaps and Small caps mirrored the benchmark's pain, falling 2.16% and 2.11%, respectively. Market breadth stayed dismal for the third day, as BSE's advance-decline ratio stood at 0.32.

The Indian rupee depreciated 68 paise to close at 92.15, its steepest two-session decline since May 2025. The currency remains under pressure as soaring energy prices intensified fears of persistent inflation and a widening trade deficit.

Nandish Shah, Deputy Vice President at HDFC Securities, noted that the short-term trend remains bearish, with Nifty below all key moving averages. Immediate support looms at 24,300–24,340; a decisive break could accelerate selling toward 23,900–24,100. On any rebound, the 24,600–24,800 range stands as a formidable overhead barrier.