Nifty, Sensex: India middle-class jitters amid stock market rout

One in five Indian households invest in the stock market, but the recent crash has left investors anxious.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersBoom to gloom: India middle-class jitters amid trillion-dollar market rout17 hours agoShareSaveSoutik Biswas and Nikhil InamdarBBC News•@soutikBBCShareSaveBBCRajesh Kumar pulled out the bulk of his bank savings and and shifted to the stock marketTwo years ago, on his bank adviser's suggestion, Rajesh Kumar pulled out his savings - fixed deposits included - and shifted to mutual funds, stocks and bonds.

With India's stock market booming, Mr Kumar, a Bihar-based engineer, joined millions investing in publicly traded companies. Six years ago, only one in 14 Indian households channelled their savings into the stock market - now, it's one in five.

But the tide has turned.

For six months, India's markets have slid as foreign investors pulled out, valuations remained high, earnings weakened and global capital shifted to China - wiping out $900bn in investor value since their September peak. While the decline began before US President Donald Trump's tariff announcements, they have now become a bigger drag as more details emerge.

India's benchmark Nifty 50 share index, which tracks the country's top 50 publicly traded companies, is on its longest losing streak in 29 years, declining for five straight months. This is a significant slump in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. Stock brokers are reporting that their activity has dropped by a third.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7vlezv05no

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