FIIs pour in Rs 2,600cr in May; investment nears $12 bn in 2013

Mumbai, May 5: Overseas investors have pumped in a staggering Rs 2,600 crore (USD 483 million) in the Indian stock market during the first two trading sessions of the month amid political and economic worries.

With this, the total foreign investor investments in the country's equity market has reached Rs 63,643 crore (USD 11.8 billion) since the beginning of 2013.

During 2nd to 3rd May, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were gross buyers of shares worth Rs 8,475 crore, while they sold equities amounting to Rs 5,869 crore, translating into a net inflow of Rs 2,606 crore (USD 483 million), according to the data available with market regulator SEBI.

Market experts said FII inflows in the Indian equities slowed last month because of a slew of factors such as profit- booking, concerns over high current account deficit (CAD) and political uncertainty.

FIIs had infused Rs 5,414 crore (about USD 1 billion) in the Indian equity market in April, the lowest in 16-months.

"We have seen FIIs pumping in funds in the Indian equity market during the month (April), but they are concerned about various economic factors such as CAD touching a record high and political uncertainty," Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd Head (Research) Alex Mathews said.

Apart from equity, FIIs have also poured in Rs 2,929 crore (USD 542 million) in the debt market during the month taking the total investment to Rs 21,007 crore (USD 39 billion) in the segment so far this year.

As on 3rd May, the number of registered FIIs in the country stood at 1,769 and total number of sub-accounts were at 6,383 during the same period.