Nifty, Sensex open lower as US sell-off amid tariff, AI concerns; IT stocks tanked more than 2%

MUMBAI: Indian stock markets opened with selling pressure on Tuesday, tracking sharp declines in US markets amid concerns over tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and AI-led disruptions affecting global technology stocks. The Nifty 50 index opened at 25,641.80, down by 71.20 points or 0.28 per cent, while the BSE Sensex opened at 83,052.54, declining by 242.12 points or 0.29 per cent.

Market sentiment remained cautious following a sharp sell-off in US markets on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 821 points to close at 48,804, marking a decline of 1.66 per cent. The broader S&P 500 index declined by 1.04 per cent or 71.76 points to settle at 6,837 points, while the Nasdaq index fell by 1.21 per cent or 277.13 points to close at 22,608.

Ajay Bagga, a banking and market expert, said, “Tough day in the US markets on Monday. AI jitters meet Iran forebodings meet Tariffs chaos leading to skittish markets that sold off and stayed sold off. Indian markets have seen FPI buying in February that has supported the markets. Indian futures are down 100 points at the open, though given today is the Feb expiry, expect volatility and two way stop loss triggering moves”.

He added, “Global event risk stays the dominant narrative. With old stalwarts like IBM dropping 13 per cent on AI fears, AI remains a disruptive force. Add on the tariffs drama and uncertainty, and we have three negative overhangs on the markets.”

Shares of International Business Machines (IBM.N) declined sharply after AI startup Anthropic said its Claude Code tool could be used to modernize a programming language run on IBM systems. IBM shares sank 13.2 per cent. The stock closed on the NYSE with a decline of USD 33.81 to close at USD 223.35 per share.

The selling pressure was also visible in broader market indices on the NSE. The Nifty 100 declined by 0.47 per cent, while the Nifty Midcap 100 fell by 0.38 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 declined by 0.43 per cent.

Sectoral indices also showed weakness in the opening session. Nifty IT declined sharply by 2.27 per cent, while Nifty Auto fell by 0.65 per cent. Nifty FMCG declined by 0.26 per cent, Nifty Media fell by 0.63 per cent, and Nifty PSU Bank declined by 0.22 per cent. However, Nifty Metal index showed some resilience, rising by 0.26 per cent, while most other sectoral indices remained in the red.

Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in Indian markets made net investments of Rs 3,483 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,292 crore.

In Asian markets, performance remained mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose by 0.96 per cent or 529 points to reach 57,370, while Taiwan’s weighted index gained 2.41 per cent or 833 points to reach 34,578. South Korea’s KOSPI index also surged by 1.44 per cent or 84.24 points to reach 5,930.

However, markets in Singapore and Hong Kong declined. Singapore’s Straits Times index fell by 0.67 per cent or 33 points to 5,008.61, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined by more than 2 per cent or 551 points to 26,530. (ANI)