Stock markets trade lower in early deals on foreign fund outflows, weak global trends

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Monday (December 15, 2025) in-tandem with a weak trend in global markets and persistent foreign fund outflows. Also, uncertainty over an India-U.S. trade deal weighed on investors’ sentiment, analysts said.

The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) index, Sensex, declined 384.39 points to 84,883.27 in early trade. The 50-share National Stock Exchange (NSE) index, Nifty, edged lower by 122.9 points to 25,924.05.

From the Sensex firms, Mahindra and Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, Trent, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv and Power Grid were among the major laggards. However, Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever, UltraTech Cement, Bharat Electronics and Tata Steel were the gainers.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), Japan’s Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index quoted lower.

U.S. markets ended lower on Friday (December 12, 2025).

“Globally, Asian markets are trading lower this morning, led by weakness across Japan and South Korea, as investors turn cautious ahead of key economic data releases from the U.S. and China. U.S. equities closed lower on Friday (December 12, 2025), while Nasdaq futures continue to signal stress within tech-heavy segments,” Ponmudi R., chief executive officer of Enrich Money, an online trading and wealth tech firm, said.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹1,114.22 crore on Friday (December 12, 2025), while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought stocks worth ₹3,868.94 crore, according to exchange data.

“A major drag on the market continues to be the elusive India-U.S. trade deal which is impacting India’s exports to the U.S., widening of trade deficit and continuous depreciation in the rupee,” V.K. Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against U.S. dollar in early trade on Monday (December 15, 2025). Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, climbed 0.52% to $61.43 per barrel.

On Friday (December 12, 2025), the Sensex climbed 449.53 points or 0.53% to settle at 85,267.66. The Nifty surged 148.40 points or 0.57% to 26,046.95.