Indian markets struggle to keep pace with global peers amid oil, rupee and geopolitical pressures

Two years on from September-end 2024, when foreign investors began pulling money out of Indian equities, a lot has changed for Dalal Street. The Sensex has lost 13.6% and the Nifty 11.6% in absolute terms, even as peers like Korea (167%) and Taiwan (110%) surged.

FPI outflows of over Rs 2.17 lakh crore in the past year have been offset by strong domestic mutual fund inflows of Rs 4.98 lakh crore, cushioning the market from a sharper drop.

Read more: Two years on, Indian equities remain stuck in a grind

The AI trade elsewhere, the West Asia crisis, higher oil prices and a weaker rupee have weighed on India, with sectoral casualties such as IT (-33.4%) and FMCG (-30.2%) deepening the underperformance. The bright spot: valuations have cooled, with the Sensex’s trailing PE at 20.3 times, below its five- and ten-year averages, leaving India relatively cheaper than many global peers.

Read more: Rupee's likely to slip despite RBI push for stability