Stock market benchmark indices trade lower on foreign fund outflows, renewed concerns over tariff hikes

Market Overview - Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty experienced a decline in early trade due to foreign fund outflows and concerns over potential US tariff hikes [1][3] - The BSE Sensex fell by 78.84 points to 84,102.12, while the NSE Nifty decreased by 21.50 points to 25,850.85 [1] - The previous trading day saw the Sensex drop by 780.18 points (0.92%) to 84,180.96 and the Nifty tumble by 263.90 points (1.01%) to 25,876.85 [2] Institutional Activity - Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth ₹3,367.12 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased stocks worth ₹3,701.17 crore [3] - The Indian equity market is characterized by a cautious sentiment following the significant sell-off in the previous session [3] Sentiment and External Factors - Concerns regarding potential US tariff actions related to India's Russian oil imports have contributed to fragile market sentiment [4] - The lack of progress in US-India trade discussions is causing caution among institutional investors, particularly foreign ones [4] - In contrast, Asian markets showed mixed performance, with South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, and Shanghai's SSE Composite indices trading higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined [4] Commodity Prices - Brent crude oil prices increased by 0.53% to $62.32 per barrel [5]