Stock markets fall in early trade amid geopolitical tensions, foreign fund outflows

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty drifted lower in early trade on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) as heightened geopolitical tensions, weak global markets and persistent foreign fund outflows rattled investors’ sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 385.82 points to 81,794.65 in opening trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty declined 91.5 points to 25,141.

From the 30-Sensex firms, Bharat Electronics, ICICI Bank, Trent, Larsen & Toubro, HCL Tech and Infosys were among the laggards.

However, Eternal, Sun Pharma, InterGlobe Aviation and Tata Steel were among the gainers.

Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth ₹2,938.33 crore on Tuesday (January 20, 2026), while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth ₹3,665.69 crore, according to exchange data.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index quoted lower, while Shanghai’s SSE Composite index traded marginally higher.

U.S. markets ended sharply lower on Tuesday (January 20, 2026). The Nasdaq Composite index tumbled 2.39%, S&P 500 dropped by 2.06% and Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked 1.76%.

“U.S. equity markets closed sharply lower overnight, with the S&P 500 slipping 2% and the Nasdaq plunging close to 2.5%, marking the worst single-day fall since October. The global sell-off was triggered by renewed trade-war concerns after President Trump escalated tariff threats on select European nations opposing U.S. control over Greenland, with proposed duties rising from 10% in February to 25% by June,” Ponmudi. R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

Renewed U.S. tariff threats, coupled with persistent foreign investor selling, continue to weigh heavily on market sentiment, he added.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, dropped 1.11% to $64.19 per barrel.

On Tuesday (January 20, 2026), the 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 1,065.71 points or 1.28% to settle at 82,180.47. The Nifty tanked 353 points or 1.38% to end at 25,232.50.