Foreign Investors Sell Indian Equities Worth Rs 1,891 Crore, Domestic Investors Buy Rs 2,492 Crore on May 21

Market Turbulence Continues as Foreign Investors Net Sell Shares

On May 21, foreign investors (FIIs/FPIs) net sold shares worth Rs 1,891 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 2,492 crore. This trend marks a continuation of the volatility witnessed in the market. During the trading session, DIIs purchased shares worth Rs 15,857 crore and sold shares worth Rs 13,364 crore. In contrast, FIIs bought shares worth Rs 12,322 crore, but sold shares totalling Rs 14,213 crore.

Year-to-Date Performance

For the year so far, FIIs have been net sellers of shares worth Rs 2.65 lakh crore and DIIs have net bought shares worth Rs 3.40 lakh crore. This disparity highlights the differing investment strategies of foreign and domestic institutional investors.

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Market Performance

The BSE Sensex closed 135 points lower, or 0.18 percent, at 75,183.36 after opening nearly 414 points higher and touching an intraday high of 75,945.79. Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 erased more than 200 points from its intraday peak to settle almost unchanged, down 4 points at 23,654.

Sectorally, capital goods, industrials, services, telecom, healthcare, auto, and realty counters witnessed selective buying interest, while IT, FMCG, utilities, and private banking names ended under pressure. Banking indices remained subdued through the session, while broader market participation stayed mixed.

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Broader Market Resilience

Broader markets, however, showed relative resilience. The Nifty Midcap 100 ended flat, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 rose 0.63 percent. Market breadth remained positive for the third straight session, with the BSE advance-decline ratio improving to 1.37, indicating sustained buying interest in mid- and small-cap stocks.

Heavyweight gainers included Grasim Industries, InterGlobe Aviation, and Apollo Hospitals, while Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, and Tech Mahindra were among the top laggards.