Foreign outflows of $3.1 bln from Indian financials drive record monthly sales in October, data shows
By Bharath Rajeswaran
Nov 7 (Reuters) -Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) pulled out about $3.1 billion from Indian financial stocks in October, the second-highest amount ever from the sector and accounting for 30% of the record overall withdrawal for the month, data showed on Thursday.
The 260.42 billion-rupee selloff in financials - the heaviest weighted index on the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 .NSEI - contributed to the record monthly outflows of $11.2 billion.
This triggered a 6% drop in the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex .BSESN, their worst monthly decline since March 2020.
A slowdown in loan growth, driven by the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI)clampdown on "exuberance" in retail lending and moderation in thenet interest margins of several banks in the September quarter resulted inFPI selling in the sector, according to analysts.
"We expect a re-balancing between India and China from foreign investors to continue in the short term," said Vineet Agrawal, co-founder of fixed income investment platform Jiraaf.
Foreign investors sold Indian stocks in every session last month as funds were redirected to China afterBeijing's stimulus measures and relatively cheaper stockvaluations.
Eighteen of the 24 sectors sawoutflows in October, with significant selling by FPIs in oil and gas, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), auto, and consumer services.
Weaker earnings further fuelled foreign selling. The auto .NIFTYAUTO and oil & gas .NIFOILGAS sectors both shedaround 13% in October, while consumer stocks .NIFTYFMCG declined approximately 10%.
Although FPI outflows triggered a market sell-off in October, analysts view this as temporary and expect domestic inflows to counter the slide caused by foreign selling.
"Even with moderating earnings, sustained inflows from retail and mutual fund investors would cushion the markets," Jiraaf'sAgrawal said.
($1 = 84.3400 Indian rupees)
What FPIs sold in Indian markets in October https://reut.rs/4hweDXX
All major Indian stock indexes declined in October https://reut.rs/4e4KdZH
India's financials see second highest monthly outflows in October https://reut.rs/4fCvQ04
Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
