Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 20 : The bears are continuously pulling the Indian markets down as the Nifty, and Sensex opened with U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.
The benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex declined at the opening bell as selling pressure persisted across most sectors.
The Nifty 50 index opened at 22,821.10 points, down 111.80 points or 0.49%, while the BSE Sensex started the session at 75,672.84, falling 266.34 points.
Market experts highlighted that Trump's tariff remarks signal his intent to negotiate and extract concessions before implementing new trade restrictions. This uncertainty has clouded investor sentiment.
"Trump's tariff talks continue to impact markets. Trump's declaration yesterday that the US will impose 25 pc tariffs on automobiles, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals impacted India's pharma stocks since India's leading pharma companies are major exporters to the US. It appears that Trump's intention is to negotiate and extract concessions before tariffs are imposed. It remains to be seen how this will pan out" said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services.
He added, "A positive news is the RBI indicating growth recovery in H2 FY25. This bodes well for growth and earnings recovery in FY26. The market will start responding positively to the high frequency data indicating growth recovery. Beaten down midcaps like defence stocks are witnessing some buying."
Meanwhile, RBI's growth recovery indicators could provide some support to the markets, but overall, concerns over global trade tensions are weighing on investor confidence.
In sectoral performance, Nifty Metal was the only gainer, rising 0.23 pc, while all other sectors faced selling pressure. Nifty Auto dropped 0.94 pc, and Nifty FMCG declined 0.81 pc as investors remained cautious.
Among the Nifty 50 stocks, 35 stocks opened lower, 14 registered gains and one remained unchanged.
The bearish sentiment was not limited to Indian markets, as Asian indices also faced pressure. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell over 1.6 pc, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost more than 1.7 pc, South Korea's KOSPI slipped 0.43 pc, and Taiwan's Taiwan Weighted declined 0.34 pc at the time of reporting.
Overall, the Indian markets are navigating a challenging global environment, with geopolitical and trade uncertainties adding to the volatility. Investors will closely watch further developments regarding trade negotiations and domestic economic indicators.
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