FII inflows hit $20-bn mark in first half of 2014

Foreign investors have been betting on Indian market mainly on hopes of a stable and reforms-oriented govt, analysts say

Overseas investors have pumped in a staggering over $20 billion into the Indian market in the first half of the year, mainly on hopes of a stable and reform-oriented government at the Centre.

The net investments by foreign investors into equity markets stood at $9.96 billion (Rs 59,795 crore) during January-June 2014, while the same for debt markets was at $10.42 billion (Rs 62,834 crore) taking the total to $20.4 billion (Rs 1.23 lak crore), latest data showed.

Market analysts believe that foreign investors have been betting on the Indian market mainly on hopes of a stable and reforms-oriented government.

The inflows are expected to surge further as the verdict met overseas investors' expectations in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Moreover, foreign investors continued their positive bias towards Indian markets after elections as well primarily on reforms oriented decisions taken by the new government," an analyst said.

FIIs (Foreign institutional Investors, the main driver of the equity market, have helped in pushing up the benchmark BSE Sensex by over 20% in the first six-month of the year.

Foreign investors had made a net investment of Rs 62,288 crore into the country's securities market in 2013 (January- December). This included a net investment of Rs 1.13 lakh crore in equities, while they pulled out a net amount of Rs 50,848 crore.

From the beginning of June, FIIs along with sub-accounts and qualified foreign investors have been clubbed together by market regulator Sebi to create a new investor category called Foreign portfolio investors.

The strong inflows in the recent months have taken the cumulative net investments of foreign investors into India to to $191 billion, while their investments in rupee terms is Rs 9 lakh crore level.

This is based on the data since November 1992 when the foreign investors began investing into Indian markets and includes about $156 billion investments into equities and further about $35 billion in debt markets.