FPIs withdraw ₹17,000 crore from equities in May on political uncertainty amid general election

Foreign investors withdrew ₹17,000 crore from Indian equities due to election uncertainty, high valuations, and profit booking.

Foreign investors pulled out a massive ₹17,000 crore from Indian equities in the first 10 days of the month owing to general election and the uncertainty surrounding its outcome coupled with expensive valuations and profit booking.

This was way higher than a net withdrawal of ₹8,700 crore in the entire April on concerns over a tweak in India's tax treaty with Mauritius and a sustained rise in U.S. bond yields.

Before that, FPIs made a net investment of ₹35,098 crore in March and ₹1,539 crore in February. Looking ahead, post-general elections, corporate India's strong financial performance in Q4 FY24 is anticipated to be rewarded.

While FPIs may adopt a cautious stance until the election results are clear, favourable outcomes and established political stability could see their return in significant numbers, Trivesh D., COO at Tradejini, said.

According to the data with the depositories, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) experienced a net outflow of ₹17,083 crore in equities this month (till May 10).

There are multiple reasons behind this aggressive selling by FPIs. With the ongoing general election and the uncertainty surrounding its outcome, investors are wary to enter the markets before the election results, Himanshu Srivastava, associate director - manager research, Morningstar Investment Research India, said.

Also, with Indian markets trading at relatively high valuations, many investors would have found this as an opportunity to book profit and wait until more clarity emerges on the country's political landscape, he added.