Sensex, Nifty decline in early trade on foreign fund outflows, weak U.S. peers

From the Sensex pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Maruti and Sun Pharma were among the biggest laggards. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Friday (February 21, 2025) amid foreign fund outflows, weak U.S. markets and tariff threats.

The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex declined 202.21 points to 75,533.75 in early trade. The NSE Nifty dipped 63.5 points to 22,849.65.

From the Sensex pack, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Maruti and Sun Pharma were among the biggest laggards. Zomato, Tata Steel, NTPC and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers.

Stock markets fall for 3rd day amid uncertainty over U.S. tariff measures, weak Asian peers

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹3,311.55 crore on Thursday (February 20, 2025), according to exchange data. In Asian markets, Seoul and Tokyo were trading lower while Shanghai and Hong Kong quoted in the positive territory. The U.S. markets ended lower on Thursday (February 20, 2025.)

“In the context of Donald Trump’s tariff threats the market is negatively responding to potential tariff targets such as autos and pharmaceuticals and looking for opportunities in domestic consumption plays which will not be impacted by tariff threats. The FII selling in India is likely to continue, particularly in the context of renewed interest in Chinese stocks which are cheap and are staging a smart recovery. FII selling will continue to put pressure on large-caps,” V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services, said.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.04% to $76.45 a barrel. “Market concerns include Wall Street’s overnight drop, looming Trump tariffs disrupting trade, persistent U.S. inflation, and a cautious Fed approach on rate cuts,” Prashanth Tapse, Senior V-P (Research), Mehta Equities Limited said.

The Sensex dropped 203.22 points or 0.27% to settle at 75,735.96 on Thursday (February 21, 2025). The Nifty dipped 19.75 points or 0.09% to 22,913.15.