Why Did FPIs Offload Rs 17,741 Crore in July?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- FPI Outflow: Rs 17,741 crore in July.
- Trend Reversal: After three months of inflows.
- Primary Market Resilience: Continued buying of Rs 14,247 crores.
- Impact of Geopolitics: Market sentiment affected by global tensions.
- Future Inflows: Potential rebound as trade tensions ease.
New Delhi, Aug 3 (NationPress) In July, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned into net sellers within the Indian equity market, prompting analysts to predict that consistent FPI inflows may resume as global trade tensions ease.
Data from NSDL indicates that FPIs recorded an outflow of Rs 17,741 crore last month, reversing a trend of inflows that persisted for three months—April, May, and June.
Notably, May witnessed the highest FPI inflows in 2025, while January marked a significant sell-off, with net outflows totaling Rs 78,027 crore.
“In July, FPIs divested equity worth Rs 31,988 crores via exchanges. This brings the cumulative sales figure for 2025 to Rs 13,1876 crores. Nevertheless, the FPI strategy of acquiring equity through the primary market persisted, with purchases amounting to Rs 14,247 crores in July,” stated VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments Limited.
Thus far in 2025, the total investment from FPIs through the primary market has reached Rs 36,235 crores, reflecting a stable trend indicative of FPI preference for fair valuations, Vijayakumar noted.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 10-12 day ultimatum to Russia to conclude the war in Ukraine, or else face potential sanctions and secondary tariffs on nations trading with Russia—a move that has led to an uptick in oil prices, thereby affecting market sentiment in the short term, according to Vijayakumar.
“The rapid rise of the dollar index to 100 poses a challenge that could influence FPI inflows shortly. Market sentiment indicates that after the initial turmoil, a deal between India and the U.S. is likely to emerge following upcoming negotiations. A stable flow of FPI investments should materialize once conditions normalize,” Vijayakumar added.
“The selling of IT stocks by FPIs has caused a decline in the IT index, while uncertainty surrounding pharmaceuticals has also affected the pharma index, despite strong results from several companies in that sector,” he concluded.
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