New Delhi: Overseas investors have pulled out a massive ₹ 15,365 crore ($2.1 billion) from the capital markets so far in September, after putting in funds during the previous two months, on widening current account deficit coupled with global trade tensions.
The latest outflow comes following a net infusion of close to ₹ 5,200 crore in the capital markets, both equity and debt, last month and ₹ 2,300 crore in July. Prior to that, overseas investors had pulled out over ₹ 61,000 crore during April-June.
According to the latest depository data, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) withdrew a net sum of ₹ 6,832 crore from equities during 3-21 September and ₹ 8,533 crore from the debt market, taking the total to ₹ 15,365 crore ($2.1 billion).
Himanshu Srivastava, Senior Research Analyst at Morningstar, attributed the outflow to widening current account deficit due to a surge in oil prices, depreciating rupee, concerns over the government’s ability to meet fiscal deficit targets and lower-than-expected GST collection.
“All these factors deteriorated the country’s macro environment. It has also cast a doubt on the sustainability of the economic growth which is closely watched by the FPIs. This coupled with expensive valuation triggered a sell-off from FPIs in September," he noted.
Additionally, given the global trade tensions, there has also been risk-aversion among foreign investors which explains their cautious stance towards emerging markets like India, which are considered to be riskier than their developed counterparts, he added.
So far this year, FPIs have pulled out over ₹ 9,200 crore from equities and ₹ 46,510 crore from the debt markets.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!