Stock markets decline in early trade tracking weak global peers, fresh foreign fund outflows
The Hindu
Stock markets decline amid weak global trends, with Infosys and Tech Mahindra gaining while foreign fund outflows persist.
Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty drifted lower in early trade on Friday (February 27, 2026), tracking a weak trend in global markets and fresh foreign fund outflows.
The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 364.62 points to 81,883.99 during initial trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty declined 117.15 points to 25,379.40.
From the Sensex pack, Maruti, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank and UltraTech Cement were among the major laggards.
Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, and Eternal were among the gainers.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth ₹ 3,465.99 crore on Thursday (February 16), according to exchange data. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), however, bought stocks worth ₹ 5,031.57 crore.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Shanghai’s SSE Composite index quoted lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index traded in positive territory.
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Insurance penetration and density are often misunderstood and do not reveal how many families are insured or whether they would be financially secure if the main earning member were to die. The real issue is not reach but adequacy, as households may have life insurance but not enough cover to replace lost income, leaving them financially vulnerable.