Indian equity markets continued their bearish run on Friday morning with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty opening lower amid global uncertainty, rising crude oil prices and persistent foreign investor selling
Representational image. File pic
Continuing the bear run amid the global turmoil, Indian equity markets opened in the red on Friday. Extending the ongoing selling pressure amid persistent foreign outflows, rising crude oil prices, and geopolitical tensions in West Asia is said to be the major reason.
Reflecting cautious investor sentiment, benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex opened lower in early trade.
The Nifty 50 index opened at 23,462.50, declining -176.65 points, or -0.75 per cent, while the BSE Sensex opened at 75,444.22, down -590.20 points, or -0.78 per cent, reported ANI.
Sectoral indices
Apart from the benchmark indices, sectoral indices on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also showed broad-based weakness. Nifty Auto declined by more than 1 per cent, Nifty FMCG lost 0.29 per cent, Nifty IT fell 0.67 per cent, and Nifty Metal dropped 0.53 per cent, while Nifty Private Bank declined 0.96 per cent, indicating widespread selling pressure across sectors.
Crude oil prices cross the USD 100 mark
Meanwhile, Brent crude oil prices crossed USD 100 per barrel, as geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions pushed investors toward safer assets, reported ANI.
Global markets also under pressure amid the West Asia War
Global markets also reflected similar risk-off sentiment amid the West Asia War. Along with the Indian markets, the US markets on Friday also closed sharply lower following fresh geopolitical developments. The Dow Jones index declined 1.56 per cent to close at 46,677; the S&P 500 fell 1.5 per cent to 6,672; and the Nasdaq index dropped 1.72 per cent to 22,311, as per ANI.
In other Asian markets, most indices traded in the red. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 1.17 per cent to 53814; Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.57 per cent to 25570; Taiwan's Weighted Index slipped 0.39 per cent to 33452; and South Korea's KOSPI dropped 1.57 per cent to 5496.
Nifty through the week
The index formed a high wave candle with a lower high and a lower low, signalling a continuation of the downward bias. The index closed below Monday’s low, highlighting the extension of the decline. Bias remains down, and the index is likely to extend the current decline towards the 23,200 level in the coming sessions.
Expert Opinions
Market experts attributed the continued weakness to sustained selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and global market uncertainty triggered by the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
Ajay Bagga, Banking and Market Expert, told ANI that Indian markets are facing continued pressure due to strong foreign investor outflows.
Bagga said, "Indian markets are pointing to continued weakness. FPIs have been consistent, high sellers. Weakness in global markets usually translates into more FPI outflows from India to meet margin calls elsewhere, adding one more layer of negativity to Indian markets", as cited by ANI.
(With inputs from ANI)
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