Indian benchmarks weighed down by earnings woes, foreign selling
Tuesday, February 18, 2025       13:49 WIB

Feb 18, 202512:12GMT+7
(Reuters) -India's benchmark indexes fell on Tuesday due to broad-based losses on persistent worries over tepid corporate earnings and sustained foreign selling, while the broader small and midcaps declined on valuation concerns.
The Nifty 50was down 0.6% at 22,827.65 as of 10:28 a.m. IST, while the BSE Sensexlost 0.51% to 75,610.25.
The indexes snapped an eight-session losing streak on Monday, the longest since February 2023, to end marginally higher.
The market is at a critical juncture overall, where a breakout or breakdown from current levels for the Nifty 50 is likely to define the near-term trajectory, said Aditya Gaggar, a director at Progressive Shares.
The benchmarks are trading about 13% below their record highs hit in September and are down 3.5% so far this year due to lacklustre corporate earnings for two straight quarters, an exodus of foreign money, lagging domestic growth and global trade uncertainties.
Foreign investors have offloaded Indian shares worth $12 billion in 2025, sapping investor sentiment.
Further downside for the benchmarks, however, may be limited as valuations are turning favourable after the recent fall, analysts said. They expect the broader smalland midcapsto see further pressure.
Smallcaps confirmed a bear market on Friday, while midcaps are trading 18% below their record highs. They fell 1.7% and 1.2%, respectively, on the day.
Twelve of the 13 major sectors logged losses on Tuesday.
Metalsand energystocks dipped 1.2% each, while heavyweight financialsdropped 0.6%.
In contrast, the IT index, the second-heaviest sector, gained 0.5% to cap the losses in the benchmarks.
The sub-index was aided by a 3.2% gain in Persistent Systemsafter J.P.Morgan reiterated its "overweight" rating on the stock, calling it the fastest-growing IT company in its coverage.
IT stocks had declined 4.5% over the last seven sessions.

Sumber : Reuters