Sensex, Nifty decline as Fed’s cautious tone, FII selling weigh on markets Strap (Print)

Benchmark indices fell in early trade as weak global cues, foreign fund outflows, and uncertainty over US Fed rate cuts hit investor sentiment. The Sensex dropped 298 points and Nifty 90 points, while Asian markets traded mixed.

Mumbai: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday as fresh foreign fund outflows and no clarity on the future course of rate action by the US Federal Reserve dampened investors’ sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 297.96 points to 84,699.17 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 90.05 points to 25,963.85.

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From the Sensex firms, Sun Pharma, Bharti Airtel, Power Grid, ITC, Tata Steel and Asian Paints were among the major laggards.

However, Larsen & Toubro, Eternal, Adani Ports and Maruti were among the gainers.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 2,540.16 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

“…FIIs turned net sellers in yesterday’s otherwise positive session. Wall Street’s overnight pause added to the cautious tone, with the Dow slipping after briefly crossing 48,000, while Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks pushing back expectations of a December rate cut further dampened sentiment,” Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Ltd, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index were trading in positive territory.

US markets ended on a mixed note on Wednesday.

“The Fed decision to cut rates by 25 bps came as expected and, therefore, it didn’t impact the market even though there is no clarity on the future course of rate action. The market will now focus more on the outcome of the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea,” VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.22 per cent to USD 64.78 a barrel.

“The US Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected 25 basis point rate cut. While the move confirmed the Fed’s easing stance, Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious remarks that “further cuts in 2025 are not guaranteed” tempered global optimism,” Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

On Wednesday, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 368.97 points or 0.44 per cent to settle at 84,997.13. The Nifty went up by 117.70 points or 0.45 per cent to 26,053.90.