Who they are
- FIIs/FPIs: foreign institutional and portfolio investors — global funds, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds.
- DIIs: domestic institutions — mutual funds, insurance companies (LIC), banks and pension funds.
The daily numbers
After the close, NSE publishes provisional buy, sell and net values (₹ crore) for both groups in the cash market across NSE, BSE and MSEI. Final figures come later from NSDL/CDSL and can differ, especially on days with block deals.
Why it matters
FPIs own a large share of India's free float, so sustained foreign selling tends to weigh on large caps, banks and the rupee. Over the last few years, steady SIP inflows have let DIIs absorb much of that selling, cushioning falls.
Reading it well
- Watch rolling 5- and 20-session totals rather than any one day.
- Compare with FII positioning in index futures for the derivatives side of the story.
- One huge day is often a block deal or index rebalancing, not a change of view.