FIIs Become Net Buyers Again, Inject ₹4,787 Crore Into Indian Equities

After an extended period of consistent selling, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) emerged as net buyers in India's secondary market on Tuesday. This marks their first significant purchasing activity in 2025. According to NSE/BSE data, FIIs invested ₹4,787 crore in equities, surpassing Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), who acquired securities worth ₹3,072 crore.

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Airtel Block Deal Fuels FII Buying

The primary catalyst behind the FII buying spree on Tuesday was a significant block deal involving Bharti Airtel.

On Friday, Bharti Airtel’s share price declined by 0.43%, closing at ₹1,668.40 per share.

On February 18, a block trade of 5.1 crore shares of Bharti Airtel, amounting to ₹8,475 crore, was executed on the stock exchanges. The seller in this transaction was Indian Continent Investment, a promoter entity, which offloaded a 0.9% stake in the telecom giant.

Bharti Airtel later confirmed that its promoter entity had sold a 0.84% stake, while Bharti Telecom, another promoter group firm, acquired 1.20 crore shares. The shares were allocated exclusively to major long-term investors, both domestic and global, as per the company’s statement.

As reported by CNBC-TV18, the deal includes a 180-day lock-in period for the seller, its agents, nominees, or subsidiaries. Furthermore, any orders placed for these shares will be considered part of the block transaction rather than regular market trades.

Nifty and Sensex Close Flat

Indian equity indices saw little movement on Tuesday, ending the session on a flat note.

"The Nifty index started neutral, faced selling pressure in the first half, but rebounded sharply in the latter part of the session, closing slightly lower at 22,945. Meanwhile, the volatility index, India VIX, dropped from 16.32 to 15.67, reflecting a 0.36% decline. On the daily chart, Nifty has formed a hammer candlestick pattern near a key support zone, signaling potential strength.

As long as the index maintains its recent low of 22,725, a buy-on-dips strategy remains viable. The 21-Day Simple Moving Average (DSMA) at 23,240 acts as an immediate resistance level, and a decisive breakout above this point could confirm a short-term trend reversal," explained Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivatives Research at Asit C. Mehta Investment Intermediates Ltd.