** Domestic institutional investors (DII) to Indian stocks dipped 18% month-on-month in February 2026 to $4.3 billion from $5.3 billion in January
** DII flows have remained range-bound since peaking at $8.6 billion in October 2024
** "The negative returns in all major headline equity indexes over the past 17 months poses a key risk for further moderation in domestic inflows," say analysts at BofA Securities led by Anish Shah
** India's Nifty .NSEI and Sensex .BSESN are down 9.2% and 10.4% in 2026 so far, both dropping around 6% in March so far, as a rise in crude oil prices on escalating Middle East tensions singes markets
** While DII inflows moderated on an overall level, the allocation towards small- and mid-caps rose to 27% in February from 15% in January, helped by improving earnings in the broader listed universe
** India's Nifty 50 companies posted year-on-year profit growth of 7.5% in the December quarter, while the broader BSE 500 companies reported 16% profit expansion, despite a one-time labour-code impact
(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Mumbai)
((bharath.rajeswaran@thomsonreuters.com; +91 9769003463;))
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