Indian stock markets are showing signs of mixed sentiment on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, with initial indications pointing towards a slightly positive opening.

Market Overview

The Gift Nifty was trading around 25,254, indicating a weak start for the Indian benchmark index. On Monday, the domestic equity market closed lower for the second consecutive session, with the Nifty 50 closing near the 25,200 level. The Sensex declined by 466.26 points, or 0.56%, to close at 82,159.97, while the Nifty 50 settled 124.70 points, or 0.49%, lower at 25,202.35.

Global Cues

Asia-Pacific markets opened higher on Tuesday, following a tech-driven rally on Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225 index was up 1%, and South Korea's KOSPI index rose 0.4%. US equity markets settled higher after Nvidia announced it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI.

H-1B Visa Fee Impact

IT stocks experienced a sharp decline on Monday, driven by concerns over the U.S. raising the one-time H-1B visa fee to $100,000. This move by the U.S. administration has dampened investor sentiment in the IT sector, which had recently shown signs of recovery.

Nifty Auto Index

The Nifty Auto Index is designed to reflect the behavior and performance of the Indian automobiles sector. The Nifty Auto live stock price is 27,154.30. The index is computed using the free float market capitalization method, with a base date of January 1, 2004, indexed to a base value of 1000. The index comprises 15 tradable, exchange-listed automobile stocks. The sectoral distribution of this index is limited to Automobile and Auto Components at 91.33% weightage and Capital Goods with the remaining 8.67% weightage. The Nifty Auto Index remains one of the strongest performers this year.

Key Stocks

Top constituents by weightage as of June 30, 2025, include: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (24.98%), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (14.46%), and Tata Motors Ltd. (12.76%).

Market Outlook

Shrikant Chouhan, Head of Equity Research at Kotak Securities, suggests that as long as the Sensex trades below 82,500, weak sentiment is likely to continue, potentially slipping to 82,000 - 81,700. A move above 82,500 could see the index rise to 82,800 - 83,000.

Other Factors

• India-US Trade Talks: Investors are closely monitoring Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's visit to the US for trade deal negotiations.
• Core Sector Growth: India's eight key infrastructure sectors' growth jumped to a 13-month high of 6.3% in August 2025.
• US Dollar: The US dollar fell as traders parsed comments by members of the Federal Reserve for clues on the path of interest rates.
• Crude Oil Prices: Crude oil prices eased on worries over trade tariffs that could dampen fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell 0.15% to $66.47 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude declined 0.06% to $62.64 a barrel.