FPIs turn net buyers in February; invest ₹8,100 crore in a week on U.S. trade deal

After three consecutive months of heavy selling, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) turned net buyers in the first week of February, infusing more than ₹8,100 crore in Indian equities, aided by improving risk sentiment, along with a trade deal with the U.S.

The inflows follow sustained withdrawals in recent months, with FPIs pulling out ₹35,962 crore in January, ₹22,611 crore in December, and ₹3,765 crore in November, data with the depositories showed.

Overall, in 2025, FPIs pulled out a net ₹1.66 lakh crore ($18.9 billion) from Indian equities, marking one of the worst periods for foreign flows. The selling was driven by volatile currency movements, global trade tensions, concerns over potential US tariffs and stretched equity valuations.

According to the data, FPIs invested ₹8,129 crore in this month (till February 6).

Himanshu Srivastava, principal manager- research at Morningstar Investment Research India, said the recent buying reflects improving risk appetite and renewed confidence in India’s growth outlook.

“The sentiment was supported by easing global uncertainties, stability in domestic interest rate expectations, and optimism around India-U.S. trade and policy developments,” he added.

The turnaround contrasts sharply with January’s outflows, when FPIs exited Indian markets amid a global risk-off environment and elevated U.S. bond yields.

Echoing similar views, Vaqarjaved Khan, senior fundamental analyst at Angel One, said the breakthrough in India-U.S. trade talks helped reduce geopolitical uncertainty and fuel a market rally, alongside stabilising U.S. yields and supportive measures announced in the Union Budget for FY26, including fiscal stimulus and sector-specific incentives.

VK Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Investments, said the appreciation of the rupee also played a key role in improving sentiment. The rupee strengthened from a record low of 90.30 against the dollar, although it later weakened to around 90.70 by the close of February 6.

He said the rupee is expected to stabilise and gradually appreciate to below 90 per dollar by the end of March 2026, which could trigger additional FPI inflows, although outcomes will depend on how global trade and artificial intelligence-related developments unfold.

Market participants remain cautiously optimistic. Further inflows could materialise if corporate earnings momentum continues and global trade tensions remain contained, although lingering rupee weakness, elevated valuations and potential shifts in U.S. policy could limit upside, Khan said.