Indian equity benchmarks opened in the red on Thursday, January 8, 2026, as persistent selling by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and lingering global trade uncertainties weighed on investor sentiment.
Market Opens Lower Amid Selling Pressure
The benchmark indices started the trading session with notable declines. The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 255.86 points, settling at 84,705.28 in early trade. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty 50 index declined by 65.9 points to 26,074.85. This downward movement marked a continuation of the cautious trend observed in recent sessions.
Key Factors Driving the Market Decline
Analysts point to two primary factors behind the market's weak opening. The most significant pressure is coming from persistent foreign fund outflows, where overseas investors have been net sellers in Indian equities. This constant selling removes a major source of liquidity and demand from the market.
Secondly, global trade uncertainties are creating a risk-averse environment. Concerns over supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions affecting commerce, and the outlook for global economic growth are prompting investors to adopt a cautious stance. This often leads to capital moving away from emerging markets like India to perceived safer havens.
Implications and Market Outlook
The early morning decline suggests that market participants are likely to remain on the sidelines until there is more clarity on both the foreign institutional investor (FII) activity and the global trade landscape. The performance of heavyweight sectors such as banking, IT, and energy will be crucial in determining whether the indices can recover lost ground during the day's session.
Market experts advise investors to focus on stock-specific opportunities with strong fundamentals rather than making broad-based bets in the current volatile environment. The support and resistance levels for Nifty around 26,000 and 26,200, respectively, will be closely watched by traders.
