Foreign portfolio investors extended their three-week buying streak in Indian equities amid market volatility driven by crude oil price worries, while domestic investors continue to provide steady support.
Foreign portfolio investors extended their buying streak in Indian equities for a third straight week, even as the market lost momentum amid renewed concern over crude oil prices. Provisional exchange data showed net purchases of Rs 1,228.24 crore by foreign institutional investors, while domestic institutions stayed firmly in support with net buying of Rs 7,768 crore. The Nifty slipped 0.8 per cent over the week, closing at 24,366 after crude-linked worries unsettled sentiment.
The week’s pattern reflected a market still being shaped by a tug of war between overseas caution and domestic conviction. FIIs began with two buying sessions, then turned sellers for two days before returning as buyers on the final trading day. Analysts said foreign investors had sold heavily in the first two weeks of the month, and while the recent buying improved August’s tone, it has not fully erased earlier outflows.
That broader caution has been visible across 2026. The Economic Times reported that FIIs have sold more than Rs 2 lakh crore worth of Indian equities this year, marking a third consecutive month of net selling, even as domestic institutional investors have kept adding to positions. Market participants have said India continues to need sustained foreign inflows if it is to support a stronger and more stable advance in equities over time.
For now, domestic investors remain the market’s main anchor. Provisional data showed DIIs buying in four of the five sessions last week, part of a longer stretch of steady support that has helped soften the impact of foreign selling. Broader markets were more resilient than the headline indices: the Nifty Midcap 100 hit a fresh record and finished the week up 0.5 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 also hovered near its all-time high. Bank Nifty was weaker, ending down 0.4 per cent.
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