FPIs’ remain net buyers in July

New Delhi Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continue with their buying spree in July with a net infusion of Rs45,365 crore in Indian equity markets on stable macroeconomic fundamentals and steady earnings growth.

However, it appears that the momentum of buying has slowed down and FPIs have turned sellers during the two trading days ahead of the US Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. “The US Fed signaled the possibility of more hikes going ahead and ruled out the likelihood of rate cuts any time soon. The potential impact of rate hikes on global liquidity would have led foreign investors to re-evaluate their investment decisions,” Himanshu Srivastava, Associate Director - Manager Research, Morningstar India, said.

According to the data, FPIs have been continuously buying Indian equities since March and infused Rs45,365 crore this month. Only one trading day is left in July. This figure includes investment through bulk deals and primary markets, apart from investment through stock exchanges. Also, this figure marks the third straight month, when the net flows have surpassed Rs40,000 crore mark. It was Rs47,148 crore in June and Rs43,838 crore in May. During the last three months, from May to July, FPIs invested Rs1.36 lakh crore in Indian equity markets. Before March, overseas investors pulled out Rs34,626 crore collectively in January and February. V K Vijayakumar, Chief of Investment Strategy at Geojit Financial Services, said that an important feature of FPI investment is that its buy/sell strategy is influenced by external factors like the dollar index, the US bond yields, and global market trends, apart from domestic fundamentals.