Brief

FIIs shift to marginal buying as Jio Platforms IPO fuels market optimism

Foreign institutional investors eased their October sell‑off and turned marginal buyers as the market eyes Jio Platforms' pending IPO.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 18 Oct 2026 23:37:35 GMT

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in India sold Rs 54,636 crore of equities through 16 Oct, a higher total than September, but reduced the pace of selling and became marginal buyers on that day, said Dr. V K Vijayakumar of Geojit Investments, as reported by Times Now News.

Vijayakumar described the shift as tactical, pointing to a slight dip in the US 10‑year yield from above 5.3% to 5.08% and a rupee strengthening to below 95 per dollar as key drivers. Despite continued selling in financials and oil, FIIs bought in consumer‑services segments such as digital platforms, entertainment, restaurants and healthcare.

Indian equity benchmarks ended the prior week strongly: the BSE Sensex rose 2,256.94 points (3.11%) and the NSE Nifty gained 625.7 points (2.77%). The Nifty’s 2.77% jump helped FIIs cover short positions, adding resilience to banking stocks that had felt the brunt of earlier selling.

The upcoming week, shortened by holidays, will focus on quarterly earnings, crude‑oil price movements, the Jio Platforms IPO and geopolitical developments in West Asia. Two main‑board IPOs are slated to open for subscription, but investor attention is expected to remain on the highly anticipated Jio Platforms listing, given its scale across digital services, telecommunications and technology.

Key facts

FIIs sold Rs 54,636 crore through 16 Oct, then turned marginal buyers (timesnownews.com)
US 10‑year yield fell to 5.08% and rupee strengthened to below 95 per dollar (timesnownews.com)
BSE Sensex rose 3.11% and NSE Nifty rose 2.77% in the prior week (timesnownews.com)
Jio Platforms IPO is the main focus of the upcoming primary‑market week (timesnownews.com)