Last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex declined 276.32 points, or 0.35 per cent, and the NSE Nifty dipped 76.35 points, or 0.31 per cent.

“Indian equity markets ended the week on a cautious note, extending their recent corrective phase as concerns over global interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty and volatility surrounding the new closing auction session weighed on investor sentiment,” Ajit Mishra — SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said.

Although markets recovered sharply on Friday, supported by strong buying in IT stocks following upbeat global technology cues, the benchmark indices remained under pressure for the third consecutive week, he added.

While Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), and Hindustan Unilever faced erosion from their market valuation, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were the winners.

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The valuation of Bharti Airtel tumbled Rs 40,500.85 crore to Rs 11,74,462.30 crore.
Reliance Industries’ valuation eroded Rs 40,056.32 crore to reach Rs 17,38,119.27 crore.The market valuation of HDFC Bank dropped Rs 11,558.35 crore to Rs 11,09,600.70 crore and that of Bajaj Finance fell Rs 10,086.05 crore to Rs 6,70,535.57 crore.

Larsen & Toubro’s market capitalisation (mcap) declined Rs 6,473.45 crore to Rs 5,55,987.49 crore and that of LIC dipped Rs 3,162.5 crore to Rs 5,32,817.81 crore.

The mcap of Hindustan Unilever edged lower by Rs 1,550.73 crore to Rs 4,72,361.83 crore.

However, the mcap of TCS jumped Rs 16,643.2 crore to Rs 8,48,079.71 crore.

The valuation of ICICI Bank climbed Rs 4,475.28 crore to Rs 10,22,805.73 crore and that of State Bank of India went up Rs 599.99 crore to Rs 9,65,568.75 crore.

Reliance Industries remained the most-valued firm, followed by Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro, LIC and Hindustan Unilever.

The inflow follows Rs 20,200 crore invested in July, marking a sharp turnaround after four consecutive months of heavy selling.

FPIs had withdrawn Rs 49,340 crore in June, Rs 32,963 crore in May, Rs 60,847 crore in April and a massive Rs 1.17 lakh crore in March. Prior to the selling streak, they had invested Rs 22,615 crore in February, according to CDSL data.

The two straight months of buying, following the worst six-month stretch in years, offer the first indication of a possible trend reversal.

However, foreign investors remain net sellers in Indian equities in 2026, with withdrawals of Rs 2.23 lakh crore so far. This is higher than the Rs 1.66 lakh crore outflow recorded during the entire 2025.

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“The important factors driving the FPI flows into India are the reversal of the chip trade, the stability in the rupee and, more importantly, the improving earnings growth in India,” V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments, said.
The continuation of foreign buying in August was supported by improving domestic fundamentals as well as a relatively favourable global backdrop.”Corporate earnings showed signs of improvement during the June quarter, helping ease concerns around the earnings slowdown that had weighed on foreign investor sentiment earlier. Resilient economic activity and strengthening credit growth also reinforced confidence in India’s medium- to long-term growth prospects,” Himanshu Srivastava, Principal, Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Research India, said.

Global factors also turned relatively supportive during parts of the month.

Easing geopolitical concerns aided risk sentiment, while expectations of softer US interest rates and a rotation of global capital away from the crowded AI and semiconductor trade in markets such as Korea and Taiwan created room for incremental allocations towards India, he added.

However, tensions in West Asia and uncertainty over crude oil prices continued to remain an overhang.

“Cash flows suggest returning conviction; futures suggest lingering caution. The trend may be turning, post AI and war-related worries receding,” Manish Bhandari, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Vallum Capital, said.

Going ahead, investors will closely monitor movements in Brent crude prices and developments surrounding US-Iran tensions. Escalating US-Canada trade tensions could further add to market uncertainty and keep investors cautious, Pabitro Mukherjee, Deputy Vice President-Research, Bajaj Broking, said.

Elevated US bond yields also remain a key concern, with markets awaiting upcoming inflation data ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting in mid-September.

On the domestic front, Q1 GDP growth and inflation data will remain key indicators to watch for institutional flows, he added.

Foreign investor interest also extended to the debt market. They invested Rs 627 crore through the Fully Accessible Route (FAR) and Rs 289 crore through the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR). However, they pulled out Rs 2,318 crore through the general route.

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