Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to remain net seller for the 10th consecutive month in April, as they sold Rs 70,100 crore worth Indian equities last month, according to the provisional exchange data.
Oil prices surged sharply after fresh Iran-US tensions, triggering volatility in global markets and weighing on Indian equities despite positive global cues and steady institutional flows.
The sudden retreat of foreign capital ~ around $12 billion in March alone ~ from Indian equities is being read as a reaction to war and rising oil prices.
At the close, the Sensex was up 208.17 points, or 0.25 per cent, at 84,273.92, and the Nifty was up 67.85 points, or 0.26 per cent, at 25,935.15.
SBI's market valuation jumped Rs 39,045.51 crore to Rs 9,62,107.27 crore, becoming the biggest gainer, while Infosys surged Rs 31,014.59 crore to Rs 7,01,889.59 crore.
At the close, the Sensex was down 376.28 points, or 0.44 per cent, at 85,063.34, while the Nifty slipped 71.60 points, or 0.27 per cent, to end at 26,178.70.
Foreign portfolio investors have resumed selling after a brief pause in October, pulling out a net Rs 12,569 crore from Indian equities so far this month.
In the first week of September, foreign investors pulled out Rs 12,257 crore (USD 1.4 billion) from Indian equities.
In the first half of August, the foreign investors have offloaded Indian equities worth nearly Rs 21,000 crore.
The stock market ended lower on Friday for a second consecutive session, marking the fifth straight week of losses. The Nifty closed below 24,600 on the first day of the August series.
