Foreign fund houses infused a net Rs. 8,191 crore (USD 1.7 billion) in the Indian stock markets during the first fortnight of 2010, signalling a good start for the year, in terms of fund inflow.
During the period, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were the gross purchaser of equities worth Rs. 34,663.7 crore, while they sold stocks worth Rs. 26472.1 crore, resulting in a net investment of Rs. 8,191.70 crore.
According to data available with capital market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), FIIs made a net investment of Rs. 6,617.40 crore (USD 1.4 billion) in debt instruments, during the period under review.
Interestingly, during the said period, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex registered a gain of 0.51 per cent, while in the same period past year, the stock market barometer had gained 81 per cent.
In 2009, FIIs were net investors of Rs. 83,400 crore in domestic equities, the highest inflow in the country in rupee terms in a single year. It came a year after overseas investors pulled out over Rs. 50,000 crore.
