22nd Sep 2025: Nifty opens at 25,238.10, down by 0.35%; Sensex at 82,151.07, down by 0.58%; Shipping Corp in Focus

On 22nd September, 2025, the Indian market opened in red. While Nifty was down by 0.35% at 25,238.10, Sensex was down by 0.58% trading around 82,151.07. 

Global Cues

• Asian markets showed a tug of war between the bulls and bears. While the Nikkei and KOSPI rose by 1.30% and 0.30% respectively, other Asian indexes witnessed a slump.
• The U.S. markets gained, driven by major corporate developments, expectations for positive earnings, and the recent Fed rate cut.

Gift Nifty

• GIFT NIFTY was down by 0.43%, trading at 25326.50 points, amid global uncertainties and a new policy concern.
• The Indian IT sector is severely hampered by the sharp rise in US H-1B skilled worker visa application fees, as it has a significant presence in the US markets.

Asian Markets

• Japan’s Nikkei 225 was trading at 1.30% higher. The main reason was an ease of concern by the Bank of Japan over its previous announcement of offloading its holdings from ETFs.
• The South Korean market rose by 0.30% tracing US market gains and backed by the gains in Samsung and SK Hynix.
• Due to rising concerns over the U.S.-China trade relations/tariffs, Hang Seng and the other Chinese indices were negative.

US & European Markets

• The US Markets ended on a positive note, with DJIA up by 0.42% from the previous close, the S&P 500 by 1.43% from the previous close, and the Nasdaq by 1.34%.
• This was driven by the Fed’s recent rate cuts, major corporate developments, and anticipation of strong corporate earnings.

• European markets also appear muted amid rising geopolitical and trade tariff concerns.

Commodities

• Gold and Silver surged, driven by expectations of further interest rate cuts by the US Fed, which makes safe-haven assets even more attractive.
• Conversely, Brent and Crude Oil declined as concerns over rising global supply and softening demand outweighed any stimulus effect from the Fed's monetary easing.
• Natural gas posted decent gains as forecasts for hotter-than-normal weather in some parts of the US continue into late September, which will maintain power demand for cooling.

Currency Movements

• The Rupee showed strong resilience against the dollar and other European currencies because of robust foreign investments and RBI intervention. The +0.46% jump in the Dollar Index suggested that the USD is strengthening against other currencies, but the −0.06% dip in USD/INR indicates that the INR is a relative outperformer.
• The steep declines in GBP/INR and EUR/INR also confirmed the INR's strength against its major European peers.

Sectors to Watch

1. Consumer Goods / FMCG: Many FMCG products could pick up demand sharply after the newly reduced GST 2.0. Retail companies with a wide distribution of staples, soaps, shampoos, and toiletries will likely benefit.

2. Health & Pharmaceuticals: Medicines have seen their GST cut from 12%/18% to 5% or exempt, which will boost affordability and potentially lead to higher volumes. Hospitals, diagnostic services will also benefit if healthcare costs are moderate.

3. Automobiles & Auto Components: Small or mid-segment cars and two-wheelers are seeing GST rate cuts from 28% to 18% for small cars, which could push demand. Auto-component manufacturers might see growing demand.

4. Durables & Consumer Electronics: Consumer Electric goods like TVs, air conditioners, etc., which were earlier taxed at higher slabs, i.e., 28% are now at lower rates 18%, which will imply possible price drops or margin expansions. This will likely boost demand just before festival season.

Stocks to Watch

• Shipping Corporation of India: The company has signed an MoU with BPCL, HPCL, and IOCL with an agreement that aims to jointly operate a fleet to support Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives and enhance energy security.
• PNC Infratech: The company has won a contract from BSRDC for a high-level bridge and road project in Bihar. This project is worth ₹495.54 crore.
• Netweb Technologies: The company has secured a ₹450 crore order for Tyrone AI GPU-accelerated systems from a leading Indian tech distributor. The order shows a significant contract win for the company in the AI hardware segment.

FII and DII Inflows

(The above numbers are in ₹ Cr)

• For September 19, 2025, the net value for DIIs and FIIs inflow was ₹2105.22 crores and ₹390.74 crores, respectively, where DIIs were focused on sectors like Banking, Financial Services, and Infrastructure, less reliant on global trades.
• FIIs were attracted by the recent GST reforms, which can accelerate profits in the upcoming corporate results.

Global Events & Updates

• The People’s Bank of China will announce its Loan Prime Rate (LPR) decision for the 1-year and 5-year tenures, likely during the Indian market hours, which could impact the sentiments of Asian and Indian markets.
• India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, is scheduled to visit Washington for India–US trade talks, and any updates or statements from these discussions will influence Indian markets during the day.

Things to Look Out for

• From 22 September 2025, India will shift to a simplified Goods & Services Tax regime with two main slabs of 5% (essentials) and 18% (aspirational goods), and a 40% rate for luxury/sin items.