FPIs snap up over $1 billion in shares, mark second-biggest buy of 2025

On a day when markets struggled for direction, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) went on a shopping spree, snapping up shares worth over $1 billion — marking their second-largest single-day purchase of 2025.

According to provisional exchange data, FPIs on Tuesday bought equities worth $1.2 billion (₹10,340 crore) even as the Nifty 50 slipped into the red after a strong start.

The renewed buying comes amid optimism over a potential US–India trade deal and signs that India may be easing back on Russian

oil imports. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also maintained a net buying position, adding another ₹1,082 crore worth of shares.

Prior to this, FPIs had last bought big on June 26, when their purchases touched $1.2 billion. Bloomberg data shows that in 2024, there were five instances when their daily buying topped between $1.2 billion and $1.8 billion.

Biggest single-day buying since 2024

Date	Inflows ($ mn)
07-03-2024	1,279
13-03-2024	1,759
29-08-2024	1,732
20-09-2024	1,818
21-10-2024	1,274
26-06-2025	1,243
28-10-2025	1,171

Source: Bloomberg

With Tuesday’s buying, overseas investors have purchased $2.5 billion worth of Indian equities so far in October — a sharp turnaround after three straight months of heavy selling. FPIs had offloaded $2.8 billion in July, $4.3 billion in August, and $2.1 billion in September, taking total outflows for the quarter to $9.3 billion.

Their positions in NSE index futures also suggest a shift in sentiment: short positions have narrowed to 74%, down from 93% at the start of October.

“FII underweight positions have reached their limits — we could see them returning soon,” said Sandeep Tandon, Founder and CIO of Quant Mutual Fund.

The renewed buying also lifted the rupee, which gained 0.6% to close at ₹88.27 per US dollar, recovering from a record low of ₹88.80 hit on September 30.

Meanwhile, a large bulk deal in Aditya Birla Capital Ltd added to the day’s institutional activity. Investor Jomei Investments sold 53.2 million shares (about 2% of equity), raising ₹1,639 crore. Among buyers were Norges Bank and Plutus Wealth Management (₹200 crore each), Société Générale (₹150 crore), along with Morgan Stanley, HDFC Life, ITI Mutual Fund, and SBI Mutual Fund.

With the latest inflows, FPIs have trimmed their year-to-date net sales to under $15 billion — still higher than other major emerging markets. By comparison, Taiwan has seen inflows of $5.3 billion, followed by South Korea with $2.3 billion so far this year.