Indian markets face strong headwinds

There are strong headwinds, both globally and domestically, that can impact the market in the near-term, said V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Global headwinds are from the rising dollar index at 103.23 and spiking U.S. bond yields, he said.

Consequently, FIIs are selling, taking their cash market sell figure in August, till 15th, to Rs 9,867 crore.

Domestically, the major headwind is the rising inflation, he said.

July CPI inflation has come at 7.44 per cent, which is 1 per cent above consensus estimates. The CPI inflation for FY'24 will have to be revised upwards to 5.6 per cent. The takeaway from this is that a rate cut can be expected only in H2 of CY24, he added.

This is negative for rate sensitives. So, the banking sector, which has been a pressure point for the Nifty is likely to experience more near-term pain. But for long-term investors, the correction can be an opportunity since the sector is doing well and valuations are fair.

Defensives like pharmaceuticals and IT will be relatively safe in the near-term. Rupee will turn weak, he said.

BSE Sensex is down 80 points at 65,321 points in Wednesday morning trade.