Waves of foreign portfolio investments worth over Rs 51,000 crore splashed into the Indian market in 2021 as overseas investors turned net buyers of domestic securities for the third straight year while excess global liquidity and other factors steered the ebb and flow of their investing ways. With the global financial system still flush with liquidity, emerging market assets, especially equities, might well remain the preferred investment avenue for many more months to come, experts opined. As the equities sizzled during most of 2021, that also saw economy slowly coming back into the recovery path, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) turned net buyers but their investment is much less compared to net inflows of Rs 1.03 lakh crore in 2020.
As the coronavirus pandemic is triggering fears of a global recession, foreign investors have started rowing back from the Indian capital markets by withdrawing a massive over Rs 1 lakh crore in March after remaining net buyers for six consecutive months. In order to contain the spread of coronavirus, lockdowns have become a norm the world over and have led the FPIs to adopt a cautious stance, market experts said.
Geopolitical tensions in different parts of the globe and slowdown in global economy led investors to opt for safe-haven like gold over the last one year.
However, a net amount of Rs 11,119 crore was withdrawn from the debt segment during the same period. This translated into a net investment of Rs 1,003 crore.
However, they put in Rs 2,744 crore in the debt markets during the period under review.
In the entire 2017, FPIs put in a collective amount of Rs 2 trillion in equity and debt markets
Outflows are likely to continue, experts say, till such time as the markets see a significant correction.
Equity mutual funds witnessed an outflow of Rs 9,253 crore in January, making it the seventh consecutive monthly withdrawal, primarily due to profit booking and portfolio rebalancing amid markets touching new highs. The pace of outflows from equities has however slowed for the third month and Gautam Kalia, head - Investment Solutions, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas said that it will likely turn positive soon as investors get used to the new normal. In addition, investors pulled out Rs 33,409 crore from debt mutual funds last month after investing Rs 13,863 crore in December, data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India showed on Tuesday.
Experts believe FPIs will keep a close watch on coronavirus pandemic, its spread and likely impact on the economy while making decisions about investment into India.
With this, the total SIP contribution in the first seven months of the current financial year rose to Rs 57,607 crore as compared with Rs 52,472 crore in April-October 2018, according to the latest data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).
Experts attributed the inflows to sudden rally in gold prices, mainly due to uneasy trade negotiations between the US and China and lower than expected global GDP growth.
Investors across age groups and risk appetite can invest in these schemes.
'The good news is that money continues to flow into India-focussed offshore funds.'
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