Sensex slips over 100 pts, Nifty below 26,200 as foreign outflows halt 2-day rally

Market Overview - The Sensex fell 55 points, or 0.06%, to open at 85,513, while the Nifty 50 slipped 11 points, or 0.04%, to 26,161, indicating a slight pullback after two sessions of gains [1][5][17] - Broader markets were marginally weaker, with mid-cap stocks down 0.2% and small-caps lower by 0.1% [2][17] Company Performance - Tata Consultancy Services, Asian Paints, and Infosys led the losses on the Sensex, with declines between 1% and 2% [2][17] - Ambuja Cements rose 4% after approving the merger of ACC and Orient Cement, which is expected to deliver about 10% value accretion for Ambuja shareholders [3][17] Institutional Activity - Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth over Rs 457 crore on December 22, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 4,058 crore [8][17] Economic Indicators - The Indian rupee firmed slightly, rising 3 paise to 89.65 against the U.S. dollar, supported by a softer dollar [12][17] - Asian markets advanced, with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rising 0.31% and Japan's Nikkei adding 0.1% [9][10][17] Analyst Insights - Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Investments, noted that domestic macros and fundamentals are positive, which could embolden bulls to push the Nifty and Sensex to new highs [6][7][17] - The strong revival in AI trade is seen as a mild negative, potentially delaying the reversal of FII outflows, with expectations of more volatility ahead [7][17]