The Indian benchmark indices opened lower on Monday at 9:15 AM as the Sensex opened at 85,133.78 or 133 points lower and the Nifty opened trade at 25,964 or 82 points lower.
In the 30-share BSE Sensex, among the top gainers were stocks such as Bharat Electronics, Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever, UltraCement and Tata Steel. Meanwhile, the laggards included stocks like L&T, HDFC Bank, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, among others.
In the broader 50-share NSE Nifty50, the Nifty India FPI 150 fell 0.50 per cent as volatility remained extremely high. Sectorally, the Nifty IT index gained 1.20 per cent and the Nifty Auto declined 0.99 per cent.
In the pre-open session, the BSE was trading above 84,100 at 9:07 AM while the Nifty traded above 25,800.
Notably, the Gift Nifty was trading higher at 8:50 AM at 26,063 or 52 points higher.
Last week, the BSE benchmark index declined by 444.71 points, or 0.51 per cent.
Factors To Govern Markets This Week
Analysts said market direction this week will hinge on key cues including WPI inflation data, foreign investor activity and global developments. Investors will also keep a close watch on movements in the rupee against the US dollar and trends in crude oil prices. The comments come after a volatile previous week, with equity markets closing in the red.
What Do Experts Say?
The domestic data calendar is set to remain busy this week, with investors tracking the release of India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation and trade balance numbers. Updates on India–US trade discussions are also expected to stay in focus. On the global front, trends in US markets and key macroeconomic signals are likely to shape near-term investor sentiment, said Ajit Mishra, SVP (Research) at Religare Broking Ltd.
Foreign investors pulled out Rs 17,955 crore (USD 2 billion) from Indian equities in the first two weeks of December, taking the total outflow to Rs 1.6 lakh crore (USD 18.4 billion) in 2025. Persistent foreign fund outflows along with a sharp depreciation in the rupee weighed heavily on investor confidence, Mishra added.
Equity markets are expected to stay sharply volatile in the week ahead as a busy calendar of global inflation data turns attention back to the outlook for monetary policy. With 10-year bond yields already inching up across key markets, investors will closely watch inflation readings from the US, the Eurozone and other regions to gauge whether the global easing cycle may be approaching its end, said Ponmudi R, CEO of online trading and wealth-tech firm Enrich Money.
Additionally, the spotlight will primarily be on the US, where key macro releases including consumer price inflation, retail sales, and non-far, payrolls, are expected to provide deeper insight into the underlying strength of the economy and the inflation outlook, he added.
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