
Auto stocks are correcting, but it's not a clearance sale yet.
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : Automobile and ancillary sectors remain caught in the FII-selling storm that has been ravaging Indian stock markets for over six months. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued selling automobile and auto component stocks for the seventh month in February by offloading shares worth $454 million.
The sector that lost FII interest in August 2024 saw the heaviest net equity outflows in October 2024, at $1.24 billion, according to data from National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL). To be sure, FIIs sold Indian equities worth $5.35 billion in February, most in the construction sector at $826 million. They, however, invested $917 million into telecom equipment stocks, showed NSDL data.
Overall, FIIs have sold Indian equities worth over $18 billion since August 2024. Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors (DIIs), which have been anchoring Indian markets amid the FII exodus, too, have been careful and selective about their exposure to auto and ancillary sectors. Mutual fund holding data showed a split in sentiment among domestic investors.
While mutual fund stakes have declined in stocks such as Sundaram Clayton (from 19.08% in November to 17.40% in January), Exide Industries (12.46% to 11.92%), Cartrade Tech (16.96% to 15.71%), and Ola Electric Mobility (4.21% to 3.49%), their interest has risen in stocks such as Sundaram Fasteners (16.60% to 17.17%), Fiem Industries (3.89% to 4.42%), and Sona BLW Precisions (24.63% to 27.04%), showed data from Prime Database. An earnings downgrade could be keeping investors away. According to a 5 March JM Financial report, 2025-26 earnings per share estimates were cut for 30 Nifty 50 companies in February 2025, with five out of six
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