Markets open lower as global tariff fears weigh on sentiment; Nifty slips below 25,500

Market Overview - Markets opened weakly on Tuesday, with the Nifty 50 at 25,580.30, down 127.65 points or 0.50% from the previous close of 25,585.50, and the Sensex at 83,207.38, down 341.95 points or 0.41% from 83,246.18 [1] - The previous session saw the Nifty end 109 points lower and the Sensex drop by 324 points, with the Reality Index losing over 2% [2] Investor Sentiment - Concerns over potential US tariffs on Europe and geopolitical uncertainties are dampening investor sentiment, leading to continued market volatility [3] - Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold Indian equities worth approximately ₹3,263 crore on January 19, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased around ₹4,234 crore, indicating a net selling of ₹26,000 crore by FIIs and net purchases of ₹34,000 crore by DIIs for January so far [3] Stock Performance - Among the top gainers on the Nifty 50, Kotak Mahindra Bank rose by 0.73% to ₹430.00, Hindustan Unilever increased by 0.58% to ₹2,427.80, and NTPC gained 0.48% to ₹345.00 [4] - On the losing side, Eicher Motors fell by 2.90% to ₹273.20, Bajaj Finance declined by 2.61% to ₹944.15, and Trent dropped by 1.87% to ₹3,872.00 [5] Economic Indicators - The IMF has raised India's FY 26 GDP growth rate to 7.3%, indicating robust economic performance despite challenges [6]